


Collection of Overwatch Shorts

by AliOfValhalla



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Blackwatch, Bullying, Childhood Friends, Crying, Deadlock Gang, Death, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Insecurity, Love Confessions, Matchmaker McCree Reporting, Matchmaking, Minor Injuries, Multi, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Overwatch - Freeform, Reader-Insert, Relationship(s), Reunions, Running Away, SOME OF THESE ARE SAD, Secret Relationship, Tropes, cliches, pre-fall and post-fall
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-01-23 15:24:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 46,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12510404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliOfValhalla/pseuds/AliOfValhalla
Summary: A collection of fluffy (and angsty) Overwatch one-shots based on various prompts.





	1. I'll Come Back To You (Gabriel Reyes/Reader)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! :) This is my first work on this site. I'm trying to get back into writing and figured this is good practice! So, I had the idea to do a series of cheesy, fluffy works based around various speech prompts I found. I try to make all of these gender-neutral, but they are written from a female perspective, so I apologize if I slip up a couple of times.
> 
> This first one is for the prompt, "Promise me you'll come back...I need you to promise me." 
> 
> Gabriel is having a tough time dealing with the pressures of being the commander of Blackwatch, but you were there for him...just like you always were.

"Gaaaaabe!"

The high-pitched, breathy sound left your lips between giggles as you struggled against his onslaught. Gabriel's hilarious idea to tickle you awake this morning had turned into both of you becoming a limb-tangled, writhing mess atop his bed.

"Stop it! Gabe! O-okay, OKAY. I'm awake...you WIN!"

You made a squeak you were previously unaware you were capable of as he continued to tickle your sides, hovering above you. You were trying to be serious now, to get him to actually stop, but you couldn't prevent the laughter flowing now, as tears rolled down the apples of your cheeks. Even after two years of being with you, Gabriel still could never help the huge grin that graced his face whenever you failed to contain your laughter. He loved that sound more than any other.

His hands finally slowed their assault and came to rest lightly on your waist as he settled his face against your neck and mumbled.

"I'm sorry, mi vida. I couldn't resist."

He lifted is head to admire your blush ridden face and returned the soft smile you offered him.

"I think I can forgive you just this once, handsome." After a beat of silence staring into each other's eyes, you spoke again. "We should probably get up, I know you've got a meeting today."

Gabriel sighed and rolled his eyes dramatically as he began to untangle himself from you. He did indeed have a meeting today. A boring, Morrison-lead meeting full of plans and procedures he'd probably already heard about ten thousand times, but as the commander of Blackwatch he had to attend. Which meant that no matter how much he would adore spending a lazy day with you, he had to get up and get dressed.

"I wish I didn't, mi vida."

"I know."

Gabriel leaned down from his standing position by the bed to give you a soft and meaningful kiss on the lips before heading to the bathroom to shower. As he walked away you could see the tension in his muscles, the way he somewhat dragged his feet now, the slight hunch is his back that would likely go unnoticed by others...but not you. You knew the weight he was feeling.

The strain between he and Jack had, to some extent, settled down since Ana disappeared. It had been fiery and tense, but in their shared mourning, it calmed...briefly. Now, however, tensions were on the rise again and you knew he was stressed over the strike commander, the UN, Blackwatch's future. What you wouldn't do to hold him close all day and tell him everything would be alright, but you couldn't. It was his job. Holding him back from that would only make things worse between your boyfriend and his former friend. So, he'd go and 'do his duty' as a commander and when he returned you'd be there for him...just like you always were.

You heard the shower turn off as you got up to prepare for your day. Gabriel re-entered the room wearing just a towel and that signature toothy smile he had for you no matter how he was feeling.

"It's about time you made a move. Morrison hates a lazy agent."

"Yeah well, If he's in a meeting with you, how will he know I was a bit late to training?"

He padded his way over to where you were standing in a pile of discarded clothes by his bed and slowly wrapped his arms around you to pull you flush to his chest. You smiled as he looked down at you to place a feather-light kiss on the tip of your nose. You flinched as a rogue water droplet left his hair and found your cheek. Gabriel stifled a chuckle.

"Maybe I'll tell him...tell him you need stricter schedules...need to move to Blackwatch...under my command..."

He punctuated each statement with a kiss starting at your jaw and heading down your neck.

"Oh, really?" You lifted his head with a finger under his chin to smirk at him before giving him a deep, warm kiss on his big, soft lips. "Just get dressed."

You turned to pick up your Overwatch hoodie from the floor behind you and jumped a little when you felt Gabriel give your butt a playful slap. You turned to glare at him, but he was already walking away towards his closet.

The rest of your day went as it normally did. As an agent recently out of recruitment, you didn't know too many of the 'higher-ups' or 'veterans' as they were known to recruits, but Lena had become a friend to you pretty quickly. She'd train with you, eat with you in the canteen, hangout with you in the rec room. She was cool...you liked Lena. Today was a Lena day. After training and other work, you walked with her back to her room.

"D'ya fancy binge watching that show we were talking about?"

You could tell she was eager, but you knew Gabe would likely be in a bad mood after his day of stressful meetings, phone calls and paperwork. So, you opted to be there for him...just like you always were.

"Maybe some other time? I'm just really tired. Training with you today really took it out of me." You chuckled.

"Sure, some other time, then! Goodnight!"

The excitable brunette hugged you goodbye and left you alone in the long corridor. You turned left and made your way towards Gabriel's room. Once outside his door, you knocked gingerly awaiting his reply.

"Who is it?"

His voice was lower than usual and you knew that meant you were right...he was in a bad mood.

"It's me. Can I come in, handsome?"

You hoped the nickname and cheery tone would make him feel a little better...maybe.

You heard shuffling and footsteps made their way towards the door before it opened. Gabriel didn't look mad or frustrated as he usually did after a day with Jack Morrison...he looked sad. Defeated. That worried you. He pulled you in for a hug and closed the door, seemingly in one swift motion.

"Gabe? What's wrong, honey?"

You spoke as softly as you could, although the worry so evidently seeped into your words like water to a sponge. His beard prickled your cheek as he lifted his head from your shoulder to look you in the eye with his bloodshot ones. Had he been crying? Or was he just really tired? Before you could ask him ,he spoke...just as softly as you had done previously.

"It's bad..." a pause, "It's really bad, mi vida."

"What do you mean?"

"All of this. It's all fucked."

Worry and anxiety flooded your brain and you wanted to yell at him to just get it out, but you needed to allow him the time to tell you whatever it was he wanted to say. You hated seeing him like this. You waited.

He looked towards the floor and seemed to be thinking about how to formulate a coherent sentence. Then he gently took your arm and lead you to his bed where he lay, spread out his left arm and looked up at you with the warmest, sweetest, brown eyes. You accepted his invitation and snuggled into his side. the arm that invited you, snaked around your shoulders and played with your hair whilst the other found one of yours and intertwined your fingers. It was peaceful for a moment. Just silence. Until, it seemed, Gabriel found the courage to break it.

"The UN is investigating Overwatch." He blurted out. "They want us to visit the Swiss HQ."

"Why do you have to go to Switzerland?"

"I don't exactly know, hermosa. Morrison and I are headed out there next week. I suppose it's to give us an opportunity to dispel the 'accusations and allegations' against us."

He let go of your hand to enclose those two words in quotation marks, before quickly returning it to its locked position with yours.

You knew he didn't want to go. He didn't want any of this to be happening at all (that was one thing he and Morrison could still agree on). But it was happening and he had to go. You didn't rightly know how to respond. You snuggled closer into his warm embrace and sighed.

"It'll be alright, Gabe."

"Will it?"

That question and the tone with which he asked it made your heart twitch in your chest. You so wanted it to be true, but the truth was, you didn't know what this meant for Blackwatch or Overwatch...or your relationship.

"I'll be here for you no matter what...just like I always am."

You smiled up at him, a gesture he returned before kissing you lightly on your temple.

"Well, then I know it'll be alright."

You knew there were different ways you could've handled it, different things you could've said. You knew he was still confused, frightened, sad. You hated that there was nothing else you could do to change that. But you got him to smile, even just for a second, and that made you feel happier.  

\-------------------------------------

The week seemed to drag and with every passing day, a seemingly misplaced feeling of dread grew inside of you. Gabriel had been on risky missions taking out terrorists and dangerous criminals; risking his life. Why did you feel so apprehensive about him going to Switzerland? It was so weird to you, but the lingering tension in the air made you uneasy.

Everyone was in low spirits, people were beginning to give up already. Many of the agents you'd gone through recruitment with had left the organisation. People you knew had worked their asses off to be here. They'd left because they were scared for the future. Even a few veteran agents had gone off to do their own thing, unsure of what would happen to them if Overwatch was shut down by the UN. But you were still here. You were here bright and early with Gabe, in front of a dropship set for Switzerland. He kissed your forehead for what seemed like the thousandth time today and followed it up with a gentle peck on your nose.

"Gabe! You need to get on the ship!" You giggled.

He laughed lightly, "I know, hermosa. But I also NEED to kiss you goodbye."

Your giggle continued as his kisses were planted all over your face.

"Alright! Alright!"

He stopped to look at your smiling face and tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear as he stared. Your eyes found the floor as you bit your bottom lip lightly.

"I love you." He almost whispered, ducking his head slightly as to catch your eyes again.

"And I love you." You said, returning to the glossy gaze of his deep, chocolate eyes.

That's when you caught something in them. Something strange, sad...knowing. You tilted your head at him and frowned.

"Is everything okay, handsome?"

He snorted, "Of course it's not, I'm leaving my baby for a whole week or more for another country!"

You couldn't quite pin point what it was, but you had confidence he'd be okay. He had to go.

"Reyes! We need to leave! Our arrival is scheduled for 800 hours. Get moving!"

Jack Morrison's voice was never one Gabriel enjoyed hearing, especially when he was trying to be romantic. He rolled his eyes, held your face between his hands and gave you one last deep kiss on the lips before letting go and turning towards the ship with a final whispered, 'I love you'.

Before he was too far away, you called his name. He turned back with a small smile. You don't know why you said it, or where the thought even came from, but...

"Promise me you'll come back...I need you to promise me."

Gabriel gave you that special toothy smile that you knew and loved and as his fingers made a cross over his heart, he shouted back.

"Mi vida, I promise I'll come back to you."

He blew you a kiss and threw his arms open dramatically walking backwards towards his gear. You laughed. A real laugh, straight from your gut as you 'caught' the kiss.

When the heel of his boot hit his gear, he turned around to pick it up and carry it onto the dropship. Just before the doors closed he smiled the most genuine smile at you as you gave him a little wave. Then he was gone.

\-------------------------------------

For weeks after the explosion you'd closed yourself off from everything and everyone. Lena had tried her best to get you to leave your small apartment and go to lunch with her or hang out with her or at least do something. You always refused. Always said you needed to be alone. You'd hardly eaten since the fall, hardly slept either. That was the hardest thing...sleeping. It was a strange feeling being in a bed that was yours and not his. A bed in an apartment that he'd never been in. You'd sometimes fall asleep on the couch to the soundtrack of a TV show you were never even watching, but that short sleep was always interrupted by his face. He'd be smiling, at first, that smile. But then he'd be crying, yelling, screaming your name and you couldn't get to him no matter how hard you tried. He was always too far away.

You didn't go to the memorial service they held for them. What was the point? To hear some UN official talk about how much of a true hero Jack Morrison was and how 'Commander Reyes was brave too'? No. There was no point. You didn't need people you barely knew pitying you either. Pretending they were 'sorry for your loss' when they couldn't even begin to understand what you'd lost. Instead you stayed home and stared blankly at a TV screen where some random woman rambled about her favourite cheese to use when making homemade pizza rolls.

There was nothing left for you anymore. No family. No Overwatch. No Gabe. You weren't even allowed pets in this apartment.

So you carried on. Carried on just...being.

\-------------------------------------

**Years later...**

There you were. Just how he remembered you. Just as sweet and beautiful.

A black sweeping mist swirled its way around him and the tree he sought the cover of shadow under. He peered at your shivering body as you closed the door after re-entering the nice, homely cottage you lived in. He wanted nothing more than to make you feel warm again.

You laughed as you watched your puppy run around like crazy as you returned to the cosy front room of your house. The fireplace was roaring and provided a welcoming change to the frosty, snow covered world beyond the window. You'd only gone outside for a minute to take out the trash, but he acted like you'd been gone for a whole week. He was cute though.

You curled up on the sofa and patted your knee. The fluffy little dog bounded its way into your lap and snuggled against tummy. You stroked his head as you flicked through hundreds of TV channels which seemingly showed nothing new.

He smiled sadly beneath his bone white mask as you stopped on his favourite movie and settled in to watch it. He knew you hated that movie.

He stood there admiring every little detail of you. He stood there for hours. He stood there through the whole movie, into the start of the next one, and whilst you and your puppy fell asleep.

You were there...just like you always were.

He knew you didn't know he was there too, but he came back to you like he'd promised.

He came back.


	2. Tomorrow (Jesse McCree/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt "Are you drunk?"

The long day of admin work you'd had was finally winding down. There had been a noticeable lack of field missions as of late and therefore, things were quiet. Ordinary. You didn't mind too much, it was nice to take a break, but you couldn't help but crave the excitement of a mission. There wasn't much to do on base aside from boring reports and the rec room. The latter was filled with new Overwatch recruits; nosy and full of questions, so you chose the former. You had nothing against the newbies, you just never felt comfortable giving them false hope...didn't like the way their bright eyes would be diffused on your next meeting. So, You stayed late finishing up all the paperwork you'd usually avoid and were now, surprisingly, done.

The sky's illumination dimmed and light rain began to fall from the wispy clouds covering the moon's attempted grand entrance. You walked along the now hushed corridors of the Overwatch base you were currently stationed at watching small water droplets land on the floor to ceiling windows to your right. A few other night-owl-agents passed by as you subconsciously navigated the route back to your quarters; their brains on auto pilot just as yours was. They followed their habitual paths and you followed yours...that was until it was suddenly blocked.

You stumbled backwards after hitting some sort of warm, fleshy wall and immediately went to apologizing for paying more attention to the rain than to where you were going.

"I'm sorry. I...I'm so sorry. I, uh..." Your eyes had finally managed to make their way to the face of the human blockade just as it huffed out a breathy chuckle, "Jesse?"

"The one and only."

He wore the dopiest grin to accompany the half-lidded, glossy eyes staring down at you.

You liked to think you got along fairly well with all of your co-workers, but being part of Blackwatch had brought you significantly closer to Genji, Reyes and Jesse. They were the people you felt closest to, people you could trust with your life.

Jesse chucked lazily again, "Where you headed, Sweetpea?"

You looked at him quizzically thinking the answer would be obvious by your tired eyes and the fact that you were heading in the direction he knew your quarters were, "To my room. I just finished up my backlogged reports and I'm done for the day."

He continued to look at you with that dopey grin, "Aww, c'mon Y/N! The night is young! We got no m-missions tomorrow, we can have some fun for once."

The distinct smoky scent of aged whiskey found your nostrils and if you hadn't been so tired you'd have probably noticed the slight sway of his body sooner.

"Are you drunk?" You asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

Jesse smirked at you, "I'd say tipsy..."

He moved to sling an arm around your shoulders and attempted to turn you around to head in his direction. However, as he spun, the alcohol got the better of him and he tripped...dragging you with him.

In the fall, you'd closed your eyes involuntarily, but as you opened them you suddenly realised the compromising position you'd landed in. You were staring down into those brown, glossy eyes as you lay awkwardly atop a drunken Jesse McCree. He still couldn't seem to lose that dopey grin that had been plastered on his face since you (literally) bumped into him.

He winked, "Well, darlin', I was planning on us just going out for a drink, but if this is more your thing I'm happy to oblige..."

You smacked his arm and received a whiney 'ow' from him as he rubbed the area as if the friction would make it hurt less. You stood up and offered him a hand which he gladly accepted. Pulling him up, he almost stumbled directly into you again which would've ended with him on top of you this time, but you managed to steady him before the floor became too much of an acquaintance to you both.

You couldn't help but smile wide at the man in front of you, "You're drunk. You don't need to be going for any more drinks tonight, cowboy."

"Alright, alright...but..."

 His grin suddenly was lost for the first time tonight and his expression turned more...something. Serious? Endearing? _Seductive_? You didn't know, but you did feel the intense heat as his eyes pierced yours. A warmth that spread all over your body, helping you forget how cold the base was at this time of night.

"But what?" You prompted quietly.

"Tomorrow" was all he said.

"What about tomorrow?" You giggled.

His smile returned at that. He stuck his hands in his pockets and briefly looked down at his shoes before returning his gaze to you. Was Jesse McCree being bashful? You'd always known he was a handsome man, but in that vulnerable moment, he was more attractive to you than ever.

"No more drinks tonight, if ya promise to get one with me tomorrow." He propositioned.

You thought about it for a moment, but couldn't leave those puppy dog eyes waiting any longer than was necessary. It had been a long time since you really let your hair down and had a good night out.

"Okay. One drink. Tomorrow."

He grinned bigger than he had all night and you swore you saw a literal twinkle in his eye before you placed his arm around your shoulder, put a steadying arm of your own around his waist and began walking him back to his quarters.

Once there, he unhooked his arm from around your shoulders to type in his room code and open the door. He had a playful look in his eye and a mischievous grin when he spoke; already knowing how you were going to react.

With a wiggle of his eyebrows, "You wanna come in, Sweetpea?"

You rolled your eyes and replied through a smile, turning on your heel, "Bye, Jesse."

You couldn't contain the large grin that engulfed your face as you walked away, the same way he couldn't contain the booming laughter he released into the corridors of the watchpoint.

You were about to turn the corner to finally reach your room when his voice reached your ears.

"Tomorrow." He yelled.

You turned your head to peak over your shoulder. He was still standing where you left him, one boot preventing the door from closing, leaning against his door frame with a smug smile.

"Tomorrow." You echoed and watched as he entered his room and slowly closed his door. His eyes never left yours until he was fully concealed behind that white door.

Tomorrow...you couldn't wait for tomorrow.


	3. I Will Shield You (Reinhardt Wilhelm/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the recall, you reunite with your old friend Reinhardt and visit a place from his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is based on, "This place gives me the creeps".

When Overwatch fell, you felt like your whole world had too.

After losing everyone you knew in the omnic crisis, your compassion and empathy had caused you to join the organisation in order to prevent anyone else having to go through what you had. It had initially been a way for you to help others, but in turn, it had become a sort of therapy for yourself. It'd also given you a family again.

_You were nervous at recruitment, as anyone would be when faced with Strike Commander Morrison's gruff voice and Captain Amari's bird-like stare. Despite that though, you sailed through. The thought of being able to stop even one other person's pain fuelled your gritty determination and the higher-ups were impressed._

_Being a new agent definitely had its challenges, but no one had ever really impressed Morrison and Amari as quickly as you had, and that news travelled. Fellow agents wanted to meet you, new recruits wanted to ask your advice. As much as you were flattered, you also just wanted to do your job like everyone else. People would ask how you managed to break Morrison's stony exterior, how you were able to fly through training without falter, how your resolve remained. It felt to you like no one really wanted to know you, it was more like they were studying you...everyone but Reinhardt._

_Technically, Reinhardt wasn't the only one who showed interest in who you were, but he was definitely the first._

_You had met him shortly after officially becoming an agent. You'd been sitting in the cafeteria with fellow agents you barely knew, watching their mouths move, but not really hearing what they had to say. Unexpectedly, the sunlight that had been plaguing your eyes from the window opposite was darkened, and your now shaded eyes blinked once before finding what had relieved them. It was a man. A man older than yourself; large and striking with shiny hair and a handsome smile. You realised then that he had spoken, but as you had with the fresh agents alongside you, you completely missed what he'd said._

_"I-I'm sorry, what was that?"_

_He smiled wider as he replied, "I asked if this seat is taken?"_

_Being a day off for a lot of agents and it being lunchtime, the cafeteria was full aside from a few select spots. One of which happened to be directly opposite you. The one this man had chosen._

_You shook you head lightly as if to clear it, "No. No, it's free if you need it."_

_"Thank you, err...may I ask your name?"_

_You smiled at him. Usually people didn't bother asking, they'd heard all about you. But if he had known your name already, he still wanted to be polite and you appreciated that._

_"Agent L/N. Although I prefer Y/N."_

_"Nice to meet you Y/N. I am Agent Wilhelm. Although I prefer Reinhardt."_

_Since then, the two of you had been close friends. Seeking each other for a non-judgemental outlet for frustrations over missions, commanders or life in general. Always knowing you had each other's backs in the field. He had introduced you to the rest of your family; Lena, Winston, Angela, Torbjorn. You loved being around him._

You'd missed being around him. You were back now though.

You had both answered the recall around the same time. The reunion was sweet and tearful. You talked for a full day about what had been going on with the two of you since the fall. His hair was more grey now and his features more angular, but he was still remarkably handsome. He'd explained that it was during a talk with Brigitte Lindholm that he'd realised his duty was with the reformed 'Overwatch' and had to return to his companions. He'd ended it saying that he'd hoped more than any other that you'd be back too.

Now you and Reinhart were on a non-dangerous, recon mission in Eichenwalde for Winston, the two of you heading over a stone bridge towards a beautifully imposing castle.

He had spoken to you of this place, but it's majesty could never fully be explained through words.

"It's beautiful." You said, eyes never leaving the intricacies of the architecture.

Reinhardt's gaze though, was trained on you, "It is."          

\----------------------------------------------------------

Entering the castle, you were met with a hall now worn and dreary, but it wasn't hard to imagine its splendour at the height of glory. The carpets laying across stone floors were stained and scuffed, but the complex patterns, although dulled, still presented themselves to brighten the walk. Chandeliers reminiscent of a medieval age hung from the high ceilings, their candles unlit. It looked cold, but a feeling of warmth encased you here, as if you could feel it's rich history. It wasn't until you entered a particularly dark room containing an abandoned sword hilted in a pile of rubble and long-extinguished ash that you began to feel uneasy.

You shivered and without thinking about what memories this castle held for your companion, you spoke, "This place gives me the creeps."

You had previously failed to notice that Reinhardt had been unusually quiet since you arrived at the castle doors. As soon as that realisation reached your brain you felt a pang of guilt, but before you could open your mouth to apologize, he responded...with a smile full of jest.

"Don't worry, liebling. I will shield you."

A blush crawled its way up your chest to manifest in all its rosy glory on your face. Looking up at him from where you'd fixed your eyes on the stone ground, you cleared you throat.

"Well, should we, uhhh, get this recon over with and get back to the ship?"

You noticed a little smirk on his face before he turned and headed out of the room. "As you wish."

You weren't sure if he was aware that you heard, but as you both rounded a corner, Reinhardt let out a small gasp as if he'd temporarily forgotten what awaited him there. You looked ahead to where his stare landed. There, you found a figure, similar in stature and armour to the man by your side. The figure didn't move, it hadn't in a long time and you suddenly realised that you knew the name of the person beyond the armour. Balderich Von Adler. The man Reinhardt had always felt he owed his life to.

You looked up at the face of your friend, and saw that it held a sadness you figured would never fully go away. You wished it would. Sadness didn't suit him.

At a lack of anything else to say, you sighed, "I'm sorry, Rein."

"You have nothing to apologize for, liebling. Balderich died with glory and for him, I try to live with honour. That is why I do what I do...to bring justice to those who are wronged."

"...and you do it better than anyone."

He smiled warmly at that and you returned the gesture. For a minute, there was a comfortable silence as you honoured the fallen hero in front of you, then you finished up the recon of the castle with no further words spoken.

\----------------------------------------------------------

On the way back to the dropship, Reinhardt paused his steps and turned to face you.

"Are you okay?" You asked.

"I have not been entirely honest with you, Y/N."

His sudden admission coupled with the guilty look on his face had you admittedly worried. What had he not been honest about? And why did he feel that now was a suitable time to be truthful? What had changed? You looked up at the taller man and smiled sweetly as your gaze met his.

Softly, you asked, "What do you mean?"

"Remembering my old friend back there reminded me of the lessons he taught me. One of those lessons was to be honest with myself...and in order for me to do that now, I will have to be honest with you."

He looked downwards briefly as if awaiting a response. He didn't get one for a short while whilst you thought about how to react to his cryptic outburst.

All you could think to say was, "Be honest. You know you can talk to me, Rein." You giggled light-heartedly, quiet, "I'm listening."

He looked back into your glistening eyes. Seeing only authentic, unadulterated care and compassion. Below that, your genuine, soft lipped smile made his heart flutter and his knees buckle. He'd finally found something that could render a crusader weak.

He took a deep breath and decided to go all in, "I love you."

Now it was your turn to take a breath. Except yours didn't quite make it without hitching in your throat and threatening to choke you. Your eyes wide, all you could do was stare as he continued.

"I have loved you for a long time...before the fall of Overwatch. I never told you because I never thought you could feel the same way and it would risk ending our friendship...and I could not risk that. I understand now that not being truthful is wrong...unfair. I am not hurt that you do not share my feelings, but you needed to know my truth. I hope we can continue our friendship."

The following pause seemed to last an eternity as you could seem to drag your stare away from his heartbreaking expression. It had obviously become too much for him to stand.

"Liebling...say something. I..."

"Is that what you want?" You blurted out, so suddenly that not even you expected it.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want us to continue being friends?"

"Yes. Of course I do."

You gave him the most sincere, heart-felt look you could muster, "Even if I feel the same way?"

The look of pure astonishment on his face mirrored your own just minutes before. That seemed to be the theme of this conversation; the two of you taking turns to feel the same emotions. In fact, it had been that way for a while.

He stuttered, "W-well. I...what?"

"I love you too, Reinhardt."

Perching on your tip toes, you stroked his cheek with the back of your hand. He caught it in his own larger one and held it to his chest where you were sure you'd feel his heart beating wildly if it weren't for his armour. His other hand went to your face, cupping it and pulling it gently towards his. The whole world around you seemed to slow to a stop as you felt his lips touch yours. The kiss was slow and loving and _real_.

Pulling away, your smile stretched automatically from ear to ear and your eyes slowly opened to find his already studying your face, brow furrowed.

"What is it?" You asked, feeling he was confused.

"I am just trying to understand how someone so perfect could love an old man like myself."

"Quite easily I'd say," you giggled teasingly. His brow didn't smooth back out, so you rolled your eyes and brushed his cheeks softly with your thumbs, "Firstly, I'm not perfect. I'm far from it. Secondly...I'm struggling to understand why on Earth anyone _wouldn't_ love you. You're kind, funny, devoted, brave. I love everything about you."

He stayed silent, but the confusion faded from his expression in favour of an adoration that made you feel bashful. You both stay like that for a while, your hands stroking his cheek bones as his found your waist. But after a few faultless moments, he broke the silence.

"Let's go, liebling."

And so you went. Hand in hand with the only man you'd ever truly loved, you got back onto a dropship and travelled to a watchpoint full of people you cherished .

Your family.


	4. My Favourite Secret (Jack Morrison/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is unsure of whether or not to make your relationship public knowledge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt, "I'm tired of being your secret."

As your eyes cracked open, they were hit with the sudden urge to hurriedly reclose in order to avoid the bright, yellowish-orange rays intruding through a crack in the horizontal blinds. It took you a second, but when the realisation that the blinds in your room weren't horizontal at all hit you, you tried to sit up, only to be held down by a strong arm you hadn't noticed had been slung over your torso. You heard a sleepy groan then, the owner of the arm obviously annoyed that you'd so rudely ruined their comfort.

"Sweetheart, what are you doing?" The man next to you mumbled half into the pillow.

You turned to see that Jack's eyes were still shut...he was barely even awake. You couldn't help but smile at how handsome he looked. His chiselled jaw, cute nose, perfect skin...even his blonde hair was still perfect, despite his state. You were brought out of you temporary daze though, by the sudden awareness that the, now snoring, vision in front of you was bathed in golden sunlight.

Usually when you lay beside a sleepy Jack, it was dark. It had to be. You'd spend some time together, cuddling, kissing, laughing. You'd make love...sometimes more than once. Then you'd leave. You'd leave in the dead of night when no one would see you exiting your commanding officer's quarters.

You must've fallen asleep last night in Jack's bed and now it was...what time was it? You turned to the bedside table to catch a glimpse at the red glowing numbers of Jack's alarm clock to see that it was, in fact, 7:05am. Shit.

Even if you'd been in your own room, you were supposed to be up and ready by 6:00am for breakfast and basic training. You could faintly hear other agents bustling around in the corridors beyond Jack's door and you gulped, not quite knowing what to do.

You turned to Jack's sleeping form, "Jack? Jack, wake up."

You were about to raise your voice a little more to get his attention when someone else did it for you with three loud bangs on the door and a frustrated voice.

"Morrison? Morrison, are you in there?" Jack bolted upright and put a finger to his mouth to signal for you to stay quiet. There was a pause before the voice spoke again, "Morrison, I swear to God, I'm..."

"Yeah, yeah, just give me a minute."

You heard Reyes' grumble something, but didn't quite catch what as you were fully focused on Jack motioning for you to hide in his bathroom. You did just that, collecting your bra and panties from his floor as you went. You softly closed his bathroom door behind you and put on your underwear.

From your hiding spot behind Jack's bathroom door, you heard the rustling of sheets and then clothing, presumably being kicked under the bed, before the sound of the door being opened.

Reyes must have barged in as you heard Jack gave an incredulous grunt and close the door.

"What happened to you this morning? I had to train your group of rookies alongside my own...do you know how difficult it is to singlehandedly get near to 30 new recruits to stop pissing about and focus?" There was a pause where you expected Jack to retort, but he didn't, "Oh, and don't worry about those updates you were supposed to send to Ana, I did that too, golden boy."

"Fuck off, Gabriel. I slept in, alright? It was one time. I'll make sure you get a gold star for all of your extra hard work."

You had to stifle a chuckle at that. Reyes did chuckle, whether it was bitter or genuine, you couldn't tell, but his anger had seemed to disperse as he spoke with a smile evident in his tone.

"I'm not covering for you every time you have a one night stand."

You gulped. What was he talking about?

"What're you talking about?"

"Don't try and fool me, Jackie. I know there was a woman here last night."

It went silent then as you assumed Gabriel walked out of the room. You heard the door to Jack's quarters shut and shortly after, the door to the bathroom opened.

"Hey."

Really? 'Hey'? You were stood hiding in his bathroom in nothing but your underwear and all he says is 'hey'. You couldn't quite read his face as he stepped closer to you.

"I'm sorry...for falling asleep, I mean."

He placed his hands around your waist and pulled you to his chest, once there, his right hand lifted to stroke your hair, "Don't apologize." He chuckled, "It was nice to sleep beside you for once."

You looked up to meet his sky blue gaze and smiled; a gesture he returned before his hand fell from your hair to cup your cheek as he kissed you. Your head fell against his chest for a few moments as you savoured the time you had with him. That was until you looked up once more, a slight air of confusion dusting your face.

"How did he know?"

"What?" Jack asked as the confusion on your face reflected in his own.

"Gabriel. He said he knew you had a woman over last night."

"Lucky guess, I guess." He shrugged nonchalantly as his hands gently caressed the bare skin of your back in small, circular motions.

You hesitantly pulled away from his embrace to chance another look at his face.

"...or maybe he knows there's something going on."

"Y/N, he doesn't know about us. Trust me." He said gripping your hands in his as they hung in the space between you.

You looked down at your joined hands as you spoke.

"Would it be so bad if he did?"

Jack sighed softly and dropped your hands, "We've talked about this, Sweetheart."

You had. A couple of times. The first was after the second time you'd had sex. Jack had said if it was to continue, no one could know because it was frowned upon for a superior commander to be intimately involved with a subordinate. You understood completely and agreed to not say anything to anyone. It was just a bit of fun anyway, right? That was until it started to get a bit more serious.

There came a point where you weren't just meeting up for sex or a quick make out session in a supply closet; you were confiding in each other, hanging out in each other's quarters to do nothing other than talk, watch movies and make each other laugh. That was when the subject came up again. He was still hesitant and so, you respected that and held it in, but the fact was...you loved him. You just wanted to be with him without having to sneak around.

At first you were worried he didn't have the same feelings for you. You loved him, but did he love you? However, those insecurities were washed away when he became the first one to say those three words out loud.

He'd pulled some strings to get you a day off on the same day as his and snuck off base with you to some fancy Italian restaurant. There, he'd treated you as though you two were a _normal_ couple. In fact, the waiter had assumed you were husband and wife. You'd blushed then, but Jack just looked at you adoringly and cut you off before you could correct the waiter's mistake. He told you he didn't care if people thought you were married, he was proud. He said he loved you.

That was a month ago, and once again, you just wanted everyone to know. You wanted to stand on the roof of the watchpoint and scream that you were in love with Jack Morrison, but you would never put his job in danger; you couldn't.

You weren't angry at him...you didn't think. You were a little upset, but you understood...right? It was all so confusing, you forgot to respond to him. You moved past him back into his room to collect the rest of your clothes from their new position under his bed and began redressing.

"Are you mad at me?"

"No. I just need to meet up with Genji to meditate." You glanced at his clock, "I'm supposed to meet him in 5, so I better go."

Lord knows you needed that meditation session...and a shower. Jack moved towards you and gave you a kiss, you smiled at him when he pulled back, but couldn't shake the notion that that smile felt fake.

You headed for his door, but stopped with your hand on the handle when you heard his voice.

"I love you."

You hummed and gave him a small nod.

"I love you too," you mumbled, before leaving his room cautiously and making your way towards the courtyard to meet your ninja friend.

\-----------------------------------------------------

Another 2 weeks passed without incident, you still spent various nights in Jack's room and left before sunrise. You both still stole brief flirtatious glances in meetings or in the cafeteria. You still kept it all locked away.

Today had been predominantly stressful for the both of you. You had injured your wrist whilst training with Lena which lead to you dropping and spilling your hot tea at lunch time...all over Winston. He had been very courteous and nice about it, but you couldn't help but feel guilty.

You'd also heard about the nightmare Jack was having. He'd apparently had a couple of his new recruits try to prank each other in their shared dorm which had lead to said dorm being practically destroyed, leaving Jack to deal with both the room and the recruits involved. Then, you'd heard whilst passing Gabriel on a call to Ana, that he'd had a particularly infuriating dispute with the UN.

The two of you would usually work out your stress...should we say... _intimately_. It seemed today was no different.

Jack had spotted you walking to the rec room on his way to drop off some files to Angela regarding the injuries his prankster recruits had received. You hadn't seen him, but became acutely aware of his presence when he grabbed your arm to pull you into a disused corridor.

"Hey, baby." He purred before his lips latched onto your neck and the files he was carrying were strewn about the floor, forgotten.

"Hey." You giggled, "What's up with you?"

Your fingers carded through his shiny locks as he continued to assault the bare flesh of your neck with kisses and eager nips. Your eyes fluttered to a close as you lifted your head up and to the side to give him better access to further indulge your senses. This would do just fine to ease the stresses of your day you thought, bringing a satisfied smile to your lips. Jack moaned against your skin and opening your eyes, you saw him lifting his head to level with yours. He leaned in as if to kiss your lips when he stopped suddenly.

Your brow furrowed "What's wrong?"

He put a finger against your lips and you heard it. The distinct voices of Torbjorn and Reinhardt having a friendly disagreement over armour. The voices were growing louder as it seemed they were making their way down the adjacent corridor you'd been pulled from minutes before...meaning they would pass by the opening to your corridor any minute now.

He was doing it again. Hiding you again. At that moment, a nasty feeling of frustration and shame bloomed deep within your gut and you had to get away. You shook yourself out of Jack's grasp with a deep glare that shot straight to his heart. He tried to pull you back, but you were gone. You stormed straight out in front of the conversing duo and all but tripped over the Swedish engineer. He grumbled a complaint, but you didn't care. You were practically running now. Running from Jack's desperate cries of your name. Running from Jack.

You reached your quarters and typed your unique code as quickly as you could before entering and slumping face first onto your bed as the door clicked shut behind you. Not minutes later, Jack was outside your room, knocking desperately.

"Y/N? Are you okay?" You heard a few other agents passing by, "Agent?"

There he's goes again...pretending you're just like the rest of them.

You stayed silent. Even if you wanted to speak to him, your crying would be evident in your speech by now and you didn't want him to know you were shedding tears for him. You didn't know exactly what it was you were feeling, but you knew you didn't feel good. You were deep in thought, ignoring the persistent knocking at your door, when a different sound caught your attention. Your Overwatch issued communication device pinged and lit up. Jacks face covered the screen, informing you it was he who was asking for your attention...as if it wasn't obvious.

**_Commander Morrison_ ** _: Why'd you run off?_

**_Commander Morrison_ ** _: Let me in, please._

**_You_ ** _: I don't want to do this right now, Jack. Leave me alone._

**_Commander Morrison_ ** _: Please, Y/N. I need to see that you're okay._

**_You_ ** _: I'm not okay._

**_Commander Morrison_ ** _: Then let me help you. Please. Open the door._

Well, this was going to get pretty tedious if you continued to communicate through typing. You stood with a sigh and headed toward the mirror on your wardrobe door. You wiped away the tear tracks and straightened out your shirt. Taking a deep breath you went to open your door.

As soon as it opened Jack was inside and closing it behind him. He looked directly into your puffy, bloodshot eyes and his expression turned miserable.

"Have you been crying?"

He immediately went to pull you into a hug, but with your hands on his muscular torso, you pushed him away.

You huffed, "Yes. Yes I have been crying."

"Why? What's wrong, sweetheart?"

You looked at him incredulously, not believing that he actually didn't know what was hurting you, "What's wrong? What's _wrong_? Jack...Jack, I'm tired. I can't sneak around like this anymore. Are you ashamed to be with me? Is that it?"

He sighed and rubbed his temples, "Baby, you know that's not it. You know what'll happen if they find out I'm dating one of my agents."

"No I don't! What? What will happen, Jack? I've been thinking about this for a while now...and there's no way they can take your job away just because you're dating me!"

That's the reason you'd assumed you had to hide. You thought he'd lose his job if the officials found out. You never wanted that for him.

"No. It's not that I'll lose my job...it's...it's just..."

He was struggling and you were losing patience, "I'm tired of being your secret, Jack!"

"I don't want you to suffer!" He yelled back.

"Suffer? What do you mean by that?"

You were thoroughly confused. He took a deep, steadying beath.

"If this comes out, the other agents will lose respect for you. They'll think I play favourites. They'll think every achievement you rightfully earn...is because you're with me. I don't want that. I want people to see just how talented you are. How strong you are. I don't want them thinking you don't deserve your acknowledgements, because you do...you really do. I'm sorry if I ever made you feel unworthy or like I was ashamed of you in any way. I'm not. I never will be. I couldn't. I love you, Y/N. I am in love with you."

He moved towards you cautiously, and when he reached out to embrace you, you let him. He continued to speak as your head settled in the crook of his neck and your arms snaked around his body. The tears swelled in your eyes again.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart."

"No, I'm s-sorry. I didn't realise you were d-doing this for...me."

He stroked your hair, soothing you gently as you continued to speak against his body.

"I understand that some people might think all of those things, but...but I don't care what people think, Jack." You lifted you head slowly to meet his gaze, "I know I've been childish and sulky about this whole thing...I'm sorry. I just...I just..."

Jack cut your sentence short with a soft, gentle kiss to your lips. A kiss so full of genuine love that you thought your heart might burst through its confines and make an appearance right then and there. After pulling away from your lips, he stroked back your hair again and gave your forehead a gentle peck. He smiled warmly.

"If you're sure about this, we don't have to hide. I will gladly take you out there..." he pointed at your door, "...call every agent to an urgent meeting, kiss you all over and declare how much I love and adore you in front of all of them."

You rolled your eyes, "Bit dramatic."

He snorted out a laugh and you joined in. He then cupped your face and stared longingly into your eyes, "I mean it...no more hiding. If you're sure?"

"I'm sure. I love you and I don't care who knows."

You closed the gap between you in the most loving kiss you could muster, knowing this was how you wanted to feel for the rest of your days.

 


	5. Different (Hanzo Shimada/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanzo is torn between his duty as head of the Shimada Empire and his duty as a brother and a lover.
> 
> (Set in an AU where Genji was never 'killed')

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt "You are nothing like them."

The atmosphere was tense and the air thick with unspoken apprehension within the wood clad walls of Shimada Castle. Standing before the elders, was Hanzo; expression sullen and trying with all of his willpower to hold back the anxious quivers that rattled his bones. Anxious? Yes...but also angry. Full of anger at what was being proposed. The aging men in front of him telling him that he must end his little brother's life. Without mercy, without remorse.

Hanzo had tried reasoning with Genji after his first meeting with the clan elders following the death of their father, Sojiro. They'd instructed him to rein in his unruly brother in the hopes that Genji too, would assist with running the Shimada criminal empire.

Genji, however, had no plans to change his wayward attitude and certainly no plans to rule an empire. Whether that be alongside his brother or not. Hanzo tried to convince the younger dragon to take this easy option, rule alongside him as equals. But Genji knew he'd never be Hanzo's equal. Not in the eyes of the elders. He'd be treated as a servant, serving an empire he had no interest in maintaining in the first place. That wasn't who he was. Genji was outgoing, fun and free.

So now, Hanzo was to kill him. End his life because he didn't fit his 'purpose'.

When they'd had their say, he bowed to the leaders before him and quickly made his way to the only place he knew he'd find comfort. You.

The romantic relationship between you and Hanzo was a secret one. It had been going on for almost two years, and although you were sure most of the castle already knew, Hanzo insisted it stay quiet for fear of what the elders might do to a potential distraction. They'd never approve of the head of the most dominant Japanese criminal empire fraternizing with a simple gardener.

He hurried towards your living quarters, ignoring various bids for his attention as he stalked silently through the corridors; eyes glued forward. Once there, he made sure he was alone outside your door before softly knocking on it.

No answer.

He tried a few more times, beginning to get antsy, before a fellow member of staff informed him timidly that you had to attend to something in the garden. Then he was off again, back on the path that'd lead him to you.

Entering the small, rock garden at the front of the estate, he instantly noticed the blossoming flowers and bushes that framed the perfectly raked sand encompassing the boulders there. Bathed in the dulling, last light of day and highlighted by the freshly risen moon. He knew that was your work. Flawless and awe-inspiring, just like you. He allowed the beginnings of a smile reach the edges of his mouth at the thought of you. The thought alone did offer him comfort, but not the physical kind he needed from you now.

He needed to embrace you. Feel your warmth overcome him. He just wanted to hold you and forget the world for as long as he could. No killing, no duty, no responsibility...just you and him.

Realising then that you weren't there, he headed towards the wooden archway that lead to a bigger, greener garden at the centre of the estate. Before he could reach it though, a voice called after him. It wasn't yours. It was, in fact, probably the last voice on Earth he wanted to hear right now.

"Brother!" Genji's voice contained the lilt of laughter it often had and Hanzo dared not look at his smiling face. "Running away from your duties again, are you?"

Genji did not realise the weight those words held and the eldest Shimada was not quite prepared to let him know what duty he was, indeed, trying to escape from.

Without turning to face his brother, Hanzo sighed, "I have no time for your games, Genji."

Desperate to get away, Hanzo took another step forward; needing more than ever to seek his goal. He came to an abrupt stop when Genji was suddenly behind him, grabbing his arm. Hanzo shook him off, and finally turned, still not meeting the younger man's gaze.

"The gardens, huh? At this time of night? I wonder what you could possibly be doing here, brother."

Hanzo didn't have to lift his gaze from the ground to know that Genji was smirking. You both knew that Genji was no fool. He knew of your relationship and found nothing more pleasing than teasing his older brother about it at any given opportunity. It wasn't malicious or mean, he was a good friend to you too. It was just his way. He liked to make people laugh and whenever he taunted Hanzo in your presence, you often failed to contain your giggling; knowing he did it to get a rise out of your lover.

"You have no idea."

"Let me guess then?" Genji chuckled.

"No. I told you, I have no interest in your games."

Hanzo tried to turn and leave again, before Genji's voice split through the cooling, evening air like one of his shuriken seeking a training dummy.

"Okay. I guess you don't want to keep her waiting too long, huh? I'm sure she's getting very frustrated...waiting to be sated..."

Genji would have continued to bait his brother, if it hadn't already worked so well.

Hanzo slammed Genji against the nearest stone wall, his right hand constricting the younger man's windpipe. Genji clawed at the hand restricting his breathing as his gaze was ripped from Hanzo's burning irises by a shimmer of blue swirling around the toned upper, left arm of the older Shimada. Panicked eyes trailing down from the almost hypnotic azure, Genji realised his brother was gripping tightly around his sword.

"B-broth-er" Genji struggled to voice his mounting concern.

Hanzo was still staring intensely into the hazel eyes of his brother. A snarl present on his face. Inside his head, a war was waging. Pulling him this way and that, with no clear outcome. Until, he was hauled from the internal battle by a soothing, sobering voice.

"Hanzo? What are you doing?"

You sounded slightly alarmed, but at the same time comforting. Like you were purposely trying to calm him...have him let go.

He did.

He let go.

Without even registering what he was doing, Hanzo released his grip on his brother's neck, simultaneously dropping the sword to the ground. It made a metallic sound as it hit the floor, marking the retreat of the mesmerizing blue mist crawling from the master artistry of his tattoo.  

He turned to look directly into your worrisome eyes and you stared back for a beat, both seemingly oblivious to the spluttering coughs of a hunched Genji to Hanzo's left.

"I am sorry, love." He shakily breathed out.

You walked towards them until you were directly in front of Hanzo.

"It's not me you should be apologizing to, if this is anything to go by." You motioned towards Genji who had now mostly recovered and was standing, regarding his brother with disbelief.

Hanzo turned to face Genji once more, this time the anger once in his eyes was replaced with regret.

"I am sorry, brother."

He threw his arms around Genji before the younger man even had time to respond. After a minute, Genji returned the gesture. Before speaking up; cheeky smile returning to his face as he addressed you.

"I have heard of people being crazy about each other, but I think you may have made my brother _actually_ crazy."

Hanzo snarled between catching his breath. You shooed Genji and told him Hanzo would talk to him later. He bowed and gave you a two finger salute. Seeing that he seemed to be okay, you smiled at him and then returned your attention back to Hanzo.

Once Genji was fully out of sight, Hanzo dropped to his knees in front of you, head bowed. You lowered yourself onto your knees to be at the same level. Taking his face in your hands to redirect his gaze to you, you noticed he was quivering beneath your touch. As your eyes met, a single tear dropped from his left eye and splashed onto your hand, swiftly followed by a twin from his right.

You had seen many sides of this man before, but you'd never seen him cry.

You pulled him closer and he nestled his face into your shoulder. One of your hands weaved its way through his silken, black hair as the other gently stroked his back. It took a few short moments, but Hanzo returned the embrace by locking his hands firmly around your middle. He sobbed in your hold for what felt like hours, but was probably mere minutes, before sniffling and lifting his head to look at you.

"Thank you." He mumbled as softly as he could with his gravelly voice.

You didn't respond to that. You just helped him to his feet and guided him back to your room, no longer caring who saw the two of you together.

After you closed the door behind you both, you sat Hanzo down on the white sheets of your futon bed and sat crossed legged facing his side, thumb stroking tenderly at his cheekbone.

"Do you want to talk about it?" You asked him gently, carefully.

"I was going to do it. I-I was going to..."

"Going to what?" You prompted.

"Kill him. I was going to kill my own brother." His voice was hoarse and deep and dejected.

Your eyes widened slightly as your hand fell from his face. You tried to approach the situation with humour. You chuckled under your breath.

"No you weren't."

He looked straight at you to see your smile fade at his expression. Hanzo was mostly always serious and stoic in public, but never around you. He had always looked at you with warmth, love and a certainty that everything would be okay. He'd never looked at anyone else that way.

"I was. The elders they..." He sighed. A sigh filled with guilt. "The elders told me that it was my duty to straighten out Genji. Make him better, more responsible. When he refused, they said...they said then, that my duty was to eliminate him from the Shimada line."

Shocked, you suddenly realised that this was real. They actually asked that of him. Your worry turned to anger. Not towards Hanzo. You were angry that the elders would lay such a burden on a man that you knew only wanted to please and impress...a kind, loving man. He turned to fully face you and mirror the position you sat in. Cross legged, face to face, he leaned his forehead on yours and took your hands in his as he continued.

"I am just as heartless as they are."

Now that just wouldn't sit with you. You lifted your forehead from his and tilted his lowered head with a single finger under his chin. He stared deep into your eyes as if searching for the thoughts that lingered in the space behind them. You didn't keep him waiting long.

"Hanzo, you are not heartless. I know that. I know that because I've felt it..." You took your right hand from his grip and placed it on his chest where his heart fluttered beneath it, "...I've felt it here, I've felt it in the way you look at me, I've felt it in the way you love me. I know you have a heart because I feel it every time I look at you. You're not heartless. You are nothing like them." You removed your other hand from his in favour of laying it lovingly on the side of his face, your thumb resuming its stroking, "Genji is still alive and I wholly believe that you would never hurt him."

He continued to stare at you in wonder and awe the way he had been since you started your little speech. It was as if someone had flicked a switch and he'd just stopped working. That thought made you giggle. That giggle made him smile. That smile made your own heart thump against your ribs. You leaned forward to press your soft lips to his warm, slightly-rough ones. You inhaled his essence and felt euphoric. Everything around you no longer existed.

Hanzo had a heart.

You knew that because you felt it.


	6. Lights In Your Eyes (Jesse McCree/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe spending New Year's Eve injured on the side of a stormy mountain isn't quite as bad as it sounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Including the prompt, "Look at the sky."

You never expected to be spending New Year's Eve freezing cold, on the side of a mountain, in Norway with none other than Jesse McCree. Back in the Blackwatch days, you and Jesse would be laughing and joking about how ridiculous this situation was, but not tonight. Tonight, you were mad at him. So mad.

_The two of you had been sent to scout out some suspicious omnic activity in Norway. You hadn't been sent alone; Mei, Angela, Pharah and Reinhardt were with you. The operative word being 'WERE'. It'd turned out that Winston's research coupled with Soldier:76's intelligence on the area had been right; a new wave of omnics was planning to lend a hand to the 'new omnic crisis'. Your team had unexpectedly gotten caught up in a fire fight and you and Jesse were separated from the rest of your companions. The omnic group here was in its infancy, meaning there weren't too many of them to contend with. It'd been going well...until Jesse got hit._

_Jesse McCree never let his guard down in the field, and against forces as small as this, he would never have been hit...if it wasn't for you. You made a simple error in judgement, which left you out in the open and vulnerable to attack. A blast to your right had thrown you to the ground on your back with your gun about a foot out of your reach. You scrambled to get it, but as you did so another blast sent it flying into the goddamn ether. That's when you heard the unmistakable metallic footfalls of an approaching omnic._

_Still on the ground, struggling to find balance every time you attempted to stand, your head was spinning. You must've hit it in the first explosion. You turned to face the source of the sound, only to be met with the sight of an omnic. It looked almost identical to the 'Eradicators' you'd encountered during the first omnic crisis, except instead of a canon, this one had guns. Big guns. Big guns pointed directly at you. It began to shoot them at your feet and you began to scramble as fast as you could towards any kind of cover...but your head. Your head hurt. The dizziness was relentless. Your vision blurred as you focused so hard on getting up and escaping._

_Suddenly, the ground left you and you were floating. Not floating, no...you were being carried. The eyes you hadn't realised were closed, opened to stare blankly up at your saviour. The first thing your eyes focused on was that ridiculous cowboy hat. What was he doing here? After you'd taken the wrong turn and ended up with an omnic blockade between you, you'd told Jesse to run. To get out of there quickly. You thought he had._

_He was running with you tight to his chest, his heart pounding loudly in your ear. He entered a cleared building and set you down behind cover. "Stay there, darlin'" he'd said before racing back out of the building, running on adrenaline. As you watched him go, you noticed the seeping red substance beginning to show through the oddly civilian shirt he insisted on wearing, just under his chest armour on his left side._

_Was that his blood?_

_The stinging pain in your head was fading, but the throbbing didn't seem to want to stop. You pushed yourself up with a grimace, almost missing the distinct sound of a six shooter doing work right outside. Before you were fully on your feet, his arms were at your waist, steadying you._

_"I thought...I told you...to stay put." He said between gasps for breath._

_"You're hurt." You stated looking down at the offending stain._

_He followed your eyes to spare a glance at the blood on his shirt before returning his gaze to your face, "Aw, it ain't nothin'. Don't you worry, doll. Let's get outta here, yeah?"_

_You gave a single nod and instantly regretted it as your head swam and you heard your own blood whirring in your ears._

_After confirming over comms that the rest of the team had made it back to the temporary base in the mountains, the two of you helped each other clamber out of the small town towards the safe, rocky confines of the base. If you could just get each other back there, Angela would be able to patch you both up. However, the weather had other ideas._

_The higher you climbed, the worse the storm seemed to get. You could see that Jesse was struggling with his injury and your head still felt like it would spontaneously explode any second. The blistering winds and snow didn't do much to make you feel better either. You had to stop. You spotted a small cave in the face of the grey stone just up ahead, just big enough for the two of you to enter side by side._

_"Jesse, stop. We're going to have to rest here...at least until the storm dies down. See what we can do with our first aid kits...just for now."_

_Your words fell out among gasps and gulps as the wind caught your breath every time your mouth opened. His eyes followed the line of your extended arm to the crevice you were gesturing to._

_He hesitated for a moment. His eyes flicking between the cave, the road ahead and your face, obscured by waves of side-sweeping snowflakes, "Alright...alright, let's get inside."_

_You both got as comfortable as two injured, armour-clad individuals could inside a small hole in the wall. Jesse had made two makeshift bandages from his serape. He used the little remaining supplies from his first aid kit to provisionally treat his wound...and yours. You hadn't realised, but the blow to your head had caused a bloody and bruised crack to appear at the base of your skull, hidden by hair. He'd wrapped one of the serape bandages around your head as best he could and laughed when he took a step back to admire his work. You narrowed your eyes at him and watched as he wrapped the second piece of material around his middle to conceal the bullet wound._

_Before long, small talk turned into an argument._

Which brings us back to now.

"Darlin', I think that hit on your head gave you a concussion...or just knocked you stupid."

He was responding to your comment that what he did was reckless and that he shouldn't have come for you. Telling him he should have ran like you told him to.

 It wasn't that you weren't grateful that he saved your life, it was that he did it by risking his own. You didn't think your life for Jesse's was a fair trade. It hurt you to think he could have died.

You scoffed, " _You_ must have a concussion if you think almost dying for me was smart."

He scoffed right back, "Well, colour me concussed. I stand by my choice."

"You know what, Jesse? You're so fucking stubborn. You could have died. Do you realise that?"

He narrowed his eyes, any signs of playfulness long gone as he pierced your own irises with his intent stare, "So could you. In fact, that tin can very nearly put a bullet in ya head. Do you realise that?" There was silence for a beat, both still staring fixedly at each other. "I wasn't going to 'run' and let you die. No way was I. There gotta be something wrong with ya if you think I would."

At a loss for what to say, you stood up, finally tearing your gaze from his. His eyes, however, stayed firmly on you; watching as you strode towards the entrance of the little cave.

"Where are you going?" He almost growled.

"The storm's passed. We can go now." You replied flatly, wanting to just get to the others as soon as possible.

You were done with arguing, or even discussing, the events that transpired in that modest town. Jesse, on the other hand, had a lot more to say. He joined you at the opening of your temporary rock haven where you were looking out across the sprawling, emerald and russet woodland over the steep edge a few feet away. The colours were darkening with the coming of night, but it was no less beautiful than it had been soaking in bright, winter sun. Standing just behind you, his eyes were admiring the same forest, he spoke.

"What's so bad about being saved? It turned out alright, didn't it? We're both alive."

"Barely." You retorted.

"You got a death wish or somethin'?"

You rolled your eyes and turned to him then; leaving the striking, vast landscape behind you in favour of a view arguably just as appealing. Jesse was looking at you too.

"What are you talking about? You put yourself in danger...unnecessarily so. I could have gotten out...there was no need for us both to get hurt. You never could resist playing the fairy tale hero, could you? You never think about..." Your ranting went on for a while, but then you noticed Jesse had stopped listening and his eyes were planted on the space above you. You gave him a look of confusion, "Jesse?"

"Look at the sky," he replied, not taking his eyes off whatever had him captivated.

Instead of the usual fireworks of New Years past, you turned to be met by a much more enchanting scene. Above the trees you'd earlier admired, glistened a plethora of glowing, swirling colours. Green and purple mostly, with intermittent flickers of white, pink and blue; all dancing around the dark expanse. The aurora borealis. A spectacle you'd wanted to see since you were a child.

You were awe-struck. The display was breath-taking...it literally took your breath from you. You couldn't speak, couldn't tear away your eyes. Then you remembered something your primary school geography teacher had told you. When you found our voice again, you repeated his words, even if only just a whisper.

"Some say it's the most beautiful sight on the planet."

It may have been quiet, but in the still of the night, Jesse heard. He heard...and it made that ever-present voice in his mind jump loudly to the forefront and spill out of his lips before he could stop it.

"Not quite the most beautiful."

You felt his gaze on you then, not sure when it had moved from the northern lights, to your face. Your head snapped away from the beauty painting itself over the dark canvas and your eyes landed on his, all the colours of the manifestation reflected there. Your mouth was slightly agape with disbelief at what he was implying. Dumbfounded, you stayed like that. Silent. Watching the rare, vibrant phenomenon through eyes just as striking.

He moved in closer to you, never once dropping his love-struck stare.

Your heart was thudding so loud, you were sure he could hear it. You'd forgotten how silly you must've looked with a torn piece of serape wrapped around your head and a goldfish-like gape to your mouth. You wouldn't have cared anyway. Jesse didn't.

You realised in the moment just before his lips met yours, the reason you'd been so angry...you couldn't bear the thought of him being gone.

As he kissed you, sparks of electricity buzzed through your body and created a warmth so comfortably contrasting the shrill air of the mountain. Pulling away to rest your foreheads against one another's, you shared the same giant grin. He laid a soft, gentle peck on your nose as he rested his hands on your hips.

You wrapped your arms around his neck and chuckled, "You're definitely concussed."

He laughed and pulled you as close as he could, the sparkling backdrop creating the picture-perfect moment. It would have probably been more romantic if it hadn't been for the pained grunt he let out as he was unpleasantly reminded of the hole in his side. You grimaced for him as his eyes clenched shut.

"We should get you to Angela, huh?"

"Mhmm." Was all he managed.

You stifled a giggle and you laced your fingers through his and cuddled close to his arm, leading him towards the base. It didn't take you long to realise it was over a mossy ridge not a few metres away. You could've avoided all of it. Could've been back ages ago. The cave wasn't even necessary. It was right there all along!

But if you'd recognised that crest of stone before you'd found the cave, you would never have been able to appreciate the splendour of the woodland. You would never have seen those astonishing, natural lights. You would never have kissed Jesse.

You were so glad you decided to stop.

As you helped him up the last stretch, something occurred to you. You briefly glanced at the watch display attached to the wrist of your specially designed uniform. 00:10. You smiled in Jesse's direction to find he was already watching you.

"Happy New Year, cowboy."


	7. Lost And Found (Genji Shimada/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You reunite with a ghost from your past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's for, "I think you're just afraid to be happy".

Despite their scarlet overlay, you knew those eyes. You knew them when their hazelnut hue glittered with golden flecks as the sunlight hit them at just the right angle. You knew them from when you stared into them in the gardens of his father's empire. You knew them from when you loved him.

Your heart began to race rapidly in your chest and the distinctive stab of threatening tears reached the edges of your wide eyes. His hair was black again now; the ridiculous green long grown out. Sure, the colours had changed, but the picture remained the same.

For a split second, you questioned whether that really could be Genji Shimada. How could it be? He was dead...right? If this was Genji, what had happened? How was he alive and what was with all the metal? Why hadn't he tried to reach you?

Questions of a similar nature flooded your brain at lightning speed, one after the other.

It was Genji.

There was no possible way that those eyes belonged to anyone else. You knew them too well.

Just as a rogue tear finally pierced the dam and trickled down your left cheek, a familiar, southern accent broke you from your stupor.

"You just gonna look at him all day? I'm sure he'd be insulted if ya keep starin'. Kid gets pretty defensive."

In spite of the fact that he was barely a fully grown man, Jesse McCree referred to all Blackwatch newbies as 'kid'. You figured it made him feel like he had something over them. It made it easier for him to tease them. Obviously, Jesse loved to make fun of them. He never meant anything by his teasing and in fact, it made a lot of recruits feel more relaxed and comfortable in the otherwise serious environment. Like an annoying older brother, you supposed.

That's what you loved about Jesse. He brought a calmness in the face of adversity that was unmatched by anything or anyone. You shared the laid-back attitude (much to Reyes' dismay) and that's how you'd become best friends.

You quickly wiped the tear from your face and reluctantly turned from watching the cyborg recruit talking to Gabriel, in favour of looking at the man who spoke to you.

"Who is he?" You asked, simultaneously fearing and needing the answer.

Jesse spared a glance to the subject of your conversation and then back to you, "Angela found him in Hanamura, Japan." Your heart felt like it sank into your stomach, but Jesse didn't notice. "He was pretty badly hurt. They said his brother tried to kill him or somethin'...must o' been a pretty messed up family" Jesse chuckled, "...he'll fit right in here, huh?"

You tried to give an answer, at least just a 'mhmm', but no noise would manifest. Your throat closed up and those tears threatened to return. This time Jesse did notice.

"Are you alright, darlin'? Seem a little out of it."

You cleared your throat as your brow furrowed and your head shook lightly, "Yeah, yeah...I'm good." You paused, brow still furrowed. You had to know everything Jesse knew. "Why does he look like that? The metal, I mean."

You could tell Jesse wanted to ask why you were so interested. He had an air of confusion to his face, but he replied, "Angie fixed 'im up. As I said, he was hurt pretty bad...almost dead." You gulped hard, "She had to give him a few new limbs and such."

You looked back over your shoulder in the hopes you'd see him again...really look at him...confirm to yourself that it was Genji. _Your_ Genji. But by this time, he and Gabriel were gone from their previous spot beyond the window.

"Do you know his name?" The question poured through your lips before you even registered that it was coming.

It came out as a soft, reserved murmur...again, not sure if you really wanted the answer. You looked back up into McCree's features.

Jesse gave a small nod, "Shimada."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

It was easy to be friends with Jesse McCree. You knew that. It hadn't taken Genji long to find that out either.

He was angry and hostile towards most. 'Defensive', as McCree had put it. But he got along with the wannabe cowboy. They shared a youthful pain that many others their age would never have to experience. They just dealt with that pain in different ways. That's not to say that their relationship was pretty. No...they fought. They insulted each other with jibes that would make the uninitiated gasp in horror. Still, that shared pain connected them on a level impossible to comprehend.

A typical day with the pair involved breakfast followed by training. The two of them sparring until one or the other was sent to the medical wing. Then, some days, they'd split off where Jesse would come hang out with you and Genji would do his own thing. Other days, if you weren't around or were too tired, they'd drink together. They'd talk.

You never knew what they talked about, because you had successfully managed to avoid Genji like the plague in the two weeks since you stared at him through the courtyard window. Jesse would sometimes begin to tell you. Start with something like, "You know what ninja boy told me today?" but then you'd change the subject quicker than he can draw his six shooter.

Jesse wasn't stupid. He'd been your best friend long enough to have known for the past two weeks that there was something you weren't telling him...and it revolved around his new friend.

"I know that you know Shimada, darlin'." Your laugh at his previous joke was cut off by his abrupt change of tone and subject. Your smile lowered as did your head. You stared at your crossed legs as you sat atop your crisp, white bed sheets, trying desperately to avoid the intent gaze of the man slouched across your loveseat.

He moved into a more upright position, then leaned forward using his knees as armrests for his elbows. He still stared, "Why didn't ya tell me?"

"Tell you what? There's nothing to tell." You shifted uncomfortably.

Jesse stood then. Your eyes lifted slowly to see that he was making his way towards you. You felt the bed beside you dip as he reached his destination.

"Really? 'Cause Genji seemed to have a lot to say about you."

You lifted you head to look at him, expression blank, but he could see the spark of hope hidden behind the shade of your irises.

"He did?" You whispered...betrayed by your curiosity.

Jesse nodded, "Sure did." He smiled wide at you and settled in as if he was planning on being there for a while. "I can tell ya the story?"

You sat the bottle of beer you'd been drinking on your nightstand, noting that Jesse had left his on the floor beside the loveseat. You gave him a nod to continue.

"He told me about this girl he'd met in Japan...said she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen...and this was during cherry blossom season, so she had to be somethin' special." You giggled quietly. "He said he was usually all gung ho when it came to girls, but this one had his knees tremblin' as he went to ask her name. He tried to stop shakin', but when she looked at him, his heart just about melted. Anyway, he finally made it to her and asked her name, but his voice failed 'im...he said he squeaked like a little mouse."

You laughed warmly, nodding your head and clutching your chest. You spoke between gasps for air, "Yeah....yeah. He was so embarrassed, but I...but I thought...I thought it was the most adorable thing ever. He was blushing so hard."

Jesse smiled as your laugher prevented you from continuing. He did it for you.

"So, then this girl said her name, Y/N, and he'd instantly found a new favourite song."

You looked at Jesse as your laugher faded into a sweet smile. You then returned your gaze to your crossed legs and it was silent for a few moments. A few sweet moments, where you finally let yourself remember. You pulled out all of the precious memories you'd locked away deep in the depths of your frazzled mind that dreadful night. The night you'd heard that Hanzo had taken his brother's life. The night that you'd realised you'd never see him again.

A droplet of salty water splashed on your calf, followed swiftly by another...and another...until you were quietly sobbing into Jesse's plaid shirt. He whispered comforting words to you as he stroked your back with one hand and cradled your head with the other.

Your crying eventually ceased, and Jesse held you at arm's length by your shoulders, "I'm sorry, Pumpkin. I didn't mean t' upset ya none."

A sniffle accompanied your little chuckle as you wiped your nose with the back of your hand, "It's okay. I'm fine."

It was silent for a few minutes, apart for the little noises of you sipping from your formerly abandoned beer. Jesse went to retrieve his too, but returned to his place at the bottom of your bed as soon as he'd got it back. You didn't want him to feel awkward...and after all, talking about meeting Genji after all this time had been sort of therapeutic.

"We were together for two years...actually, almost three. It felt like a lifetime though...It probably could've been." You scoffed slightly, taking a gulp of beer.

Jesse, once more returned his gaze to you, "You should talk to him. He misses you. He doesn't know what happened to you after..."

He stopped, but you knew what he meant.

You took a deep breath, "Well, I can't avoid him forever. We are comrades after all."

"Why do you want to avoid him, if you miss him too? Maybe it still can be a lifetime."

Jesse would never admit it, but he was a hopeless romantic. He had a way of sensing people's inner most emotions and you knew he could sense the love you felt...and he'd probably sensed it in Genji too.

It was done. _Your_ Genji had died.

"It can't." You whispered, a choked sob escaping.

"Why?" It was a fair enough question and honestly, you had no answer. "Plenty of guys have hit on you since ya got here. You always turn 'em away, no matter how romantic the gesture. I always wondered why, but now I know...I think you're just afraid to be happy."

"I'm not afraid of being happy. I'm afraid of the inevitability of that happiness being torn away from me" The pause was icy, still, "...again."

The last word was hushed. Tears streamed freely again now. You hadn't realised you'd raised your voice until the shock on Jesse's face and the sting in your throat gave it away. He pulled you into another hug.

"No one's gonna take it from ya, darlin'...look at me." He lifted your chin up. "No one's gonna take him away from you this time. Heck, I'd like to see 'em try." He cringed and made a gesture as though he was scared of you. You chuckled through your tears. "Look, even if it's temporary, is it not worth it while it lasts? Sometimes, you just gotta do things that scare ya. You gotta live while you're alive. Ya know what I'm sayin', Pumpkin?"

"Yeah...you're quoting just about every aesthetically pleasing photo quote you've seen on the internet, you cheeseball." You both laughed. It felt nice to let out of these emotions. Maybe Jesse was right. "How? I mean, how do I show him I'm here without scaring him away? I can't just be like, 'Hey, it's ya long lost girlfriend who thought you were dead and joined this organisation to have purpose again, let's go out sometime?' can I?"

Jesse chuckled, "I've got an idea."

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Jesse's idea was cheesy. It was romantic and cheesy...exactly the sort of thing Genji would have pulled for you. In fact, he had done something very similar on the one year anniversary of the two of you meeting at that sakura festival.

Back then, he had swept up a ton of fallen cherry blossom and laid them in a path leading towards the biggest cherry blossom tree in the park. Your favourite one.

He'd told you to go to the park at nightfall and 'follow the pink path'. You'd arrived as it was getting dark and something caught your eye. From the entrance of the park, leading inwards, there were two rows of lit candles, alternating in colour between white and gold. Between those rows of candles there was a pathway of dainty pink flowers, just wide enough for single file. You followed it, as instructed and came upon your favourite person kneeling on a blanket by your favourite tree. He'd said, "I know you like to watch the stars."

That's what you'd done. You'd watched the stars until their light faded and there were no more to watch, all the while held tightly in his arms, against his warm body.

The memory brought a smile to your face as you looked upon the scene in front of you. A wholehearted attempt at a recreation. The cherry blossom here was fake, pink petals you'd found in a box marked 'DECORATIONS' in one of the watchpoint's storage closets. The candles were actually half a dozen white lamps, temporarily stolen from the IT department. The tree was not a giant sakura, but in fact, the lone Dracaena Draco in the centre of the small, communal garden at Watchpoint: Gibraltar. Aptly named you thought, as Winston had informed you that the tree's English name was the 'Dragon Tree'.

"It's almost sundown...you all set?"

Tearing your gaze away from the set up, you smiled at Jesse. He had helped you set the scene (by stealing the lamps) and told Genji to meet him at nightfall in the garden as there was 'something you need to see' there. You were starting to get nervous, although you couldn't quite pinpoint why. It was just Genji. _Your_ Genji.

You sighed, straightening down your shirt, "Yes. I'm ready."

\----------------------------------------------------------

You fiddled with your clothes, your hands, the blanket you were knelt on...anything to keep you distracted as you waited. The sun had set and the garden was beginning to become encased in a blanket of its own; the calming, dark blanket of night. It might have felt more warming if the moonlight wasn't obscured by the harshly bright white light of the IT lamps.

You began to wonder whether or not you should turn them off and let the moon illuminate the path instead, but before you'd reached a decision, he was there.

You looked up to the sound of the door opening and someone being shoved out of it. It was him. The cyborg. From what you could see at this distance and with his visor hiding his mouth, he looked confused. His eyes told you that.

Then he looked at you...and squinted. He could obviously see a figure, but over the harsh light, couldn't make out features. He took a moment to take in the scene as he stood at the far end of the makeshift cherry blossom path. You swore you heard him gasp.

He took a cautious step forward, all the while, eyes glued to your face; waiting long-sufferingly to know who you were. Another step. Still staring. Another.

Once he was right there in front of you, towering above you, you didn't dare look up. Your head was bowed, eyes tracing the intricate patterns of the blanket you'd burrowed from Ana. Did he know it was you? What was he thinking?

Out of your peripheral, you saw him crouch. Suddenly, a tender hand took hold of your chin. The familiar, calloused thumb of his remaining human hand, stroked your jaw so gently the touch was hardly there. You could feel it though. It sent a pleasant wash of warmth throughout your entire being.

He almost choked on the single, barely audible word. "Y/N?"

You looked up then...straight into those beautiful eyes. The tears started as you nodded silently. The two of you remained like that for a good few minutes; unbelieving, whole again.

Then you reached up to grab his hand and softly whispered against it, "I know you like to watch the stars."

His eyes smiled then. Just the way they used to.

There'd be plenty of time for words later. For the 'I missed you's and the 'I love you's, but right now all either of you needed was to know the other was real. So, Genji reached out and brought you into his warm embrace, needing to feel you against him again. He placed a soft peck on your crown and gently lay down with you...just like that anniversary night.

As you had done all those years ago, you held each other and watched the stars until they'd all faded into day and there were no more stars to watch.


	8. Sweetness (Gabriel Reyes/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel is overworking himself to the point where you have to step in and take a piece of his sweet time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt, "You're getting crumbs all over my bed".

Gabe needed a break. You knew that, his recruits knew that...even Jack knew that. The only person who seemed to disagree was the man himself. Even after being told repeatedly by Morrison to 'take a day off', he still insisted the work he had to do was too important.

You were beginning to worry about him. He trained hard, he worked late, he skipped meals and the dark circles under his eyes were becoming more prominent every day.

You decided enough was enough.

After breakfast (where Gabe had practically eaten his toast and drank his coffee in a record four minutes before kissing your head and bolting to the shooting range), you had gone to express your concerns to Jack and Ana. Reaching the office of the former, you'd spotted the two people you were looking for through the long, internal window. They were speaking to Jesse and Genji. Mid-sentence, Ana's eyes landed on you, waiting patiently outside for your chance to speak with them. She nudged Jack with her elbow and nodded in your direction. All four occupants of the strike-commander's office turned their attention to you. Jack then motioned for you to come in.

You entered the office and closed the door with an audible click behind you.

"Y/N, just the person we needed to see."

You were sure they instantly picked up on your confusion as your brow furrowed inquisitively at Jack's words. You spared quick glances at Jesse and Genji before responding, "Sir?"

"Agents McCree and Shimada are concerned about the well-being of their commander...as are Captain Amari and myself."

You cleared your throat, "Me too, sir."

He continued, "As you are aware, both myself and Captain Amari have tried on multiple occasions to have him take a day for himself...even Jesse's incessant whining hasn't encouraged him."

You looked at Jesse with an amused smile and he gave a shrug not dissimilar to the one your boyfriend was famous for. You gave a little chuckle under your breath, "He's stubborn."

Jack gave a breathy chuckled of his own then, "Oh, I know...but he listens to you more often than not." His expression was more serious again, "Genji informed me of an incident yesterday."

"Incident?" You asked, eyes flitting to Genji.

The ninja looked to Jack as if asking permission to tell you. Jack nodded at him.

"Yesterday, in training, Commander Reyes got angry at a new recruit for a simple mistake. Usually, for such a mistake, he would make the recruit run laps or do double push-ups, but..." He hesitated slightly.

"But what?"

"...but yesterday he pinned the boy against the wall by his throat. He ended up in the medical wing. His lack of sleep seems to be causing a shorter fuse than usual."

That wasn't the Gabriel you knew. Little mistakes could sometimes momentarily piss him off, but only because he wanted the best for all of his recruits. He'd never usually lose his temper like that. Come to think of it...

You gulped, "Yeah. He has been sort of grumpy lately.

Ana looked at you with sympathetic eyes, "He needs to relax. He's becoming obsessed with perfecting Blackwatch, to the point that, on the next field mission, he could be dangerous...to us."

You nodded sullenly, "So what do we do?"

Jack spoke again, "As I said, he listens to you; respects your opinion. So, tomorrow you both get the day off. Make sure he gets his sleep tonight. Don't let him do anything work related. Athena has disabled his alarm for the morning and restricted his access to certain areas on base. Do whatever you want. Utilise the rec room, wander the courtyard, go off base and into town...just make sure he clears his head before he hurts himself or someone else."

"Yes, sir."

"Alright, all of you are dismissed."

You left Jack's office alongside your two Blackwatch friends. How in Hell were you gonna do this?

As if he'd read your mind, McCree mumbled a "Good luck" before he tipped his hat and left with Genji who gave you a two-fingered salute.

Oh, man.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

9:46pm, the end of your work day. Gabriel had just responded to the text you'd sent him asking where he was with the words, "Office. Working." You sighed and headed for his office.

You knocked gingerly on the black door and awaited a reply. It took a second knock to get one.

"Come in."

You peeked your head into his office to see his eyes trained on the glowing screen of a holopad. He was typing furiously. You entered the room fully and shut the door behind you. You began to walk towards his desk. When you reached it, he looked up at you for the first time since you'd got there.

He smiled, "Hey, mi vida."

Back to typing.

You sighed, "Gabe...come to bed?"

"Just as soon as I've finished this, dulzura."

You sighed again, this time deeper. It caught his attention, eyes lifting from the holopad to you again as you spoke as sternly as you could, "No. Now."

"Y/N. I'm too tired..."

He obviously thought you were hinting at something else. You cut him off, "Yes. Of course you're too tired. You're too tired to do anything, because you're always working. I'm not asking for anything other than for you to cuddle up beside me and get some damn sleep."

He looked a bit dumbfounded at you sudden outburst, "Dulzura, I..."

You once again cut off his attempts, "Don't 'dulzura' me. I know about that recruit you sent to the infirmary for making a simple mistake. I know you've been losing focus in physical training sessions. This isn't good for you, Gabe...or for anyone around you." You saw the movement in his throat as he gulped hard and looked down at his desk, "Please. Just leave that. Come and get some rest, baby."

To your surprise, he closed down the holopad and got up from his seat. No arguments. No scowl.

He made his way to your side and you turned to face him.

He wrapped his arms around your waist and stared into your eyes. You stared back, seeing all those sleepless nights and exhausting days. You draped your arms around his neck and buried your head in the crook of it. He sighed contently and nuzzled his face into your hair.

You could feel his breath glide through your hair and tingle your scalp as he spoke, "I'm sorry, mi vida. I'm sorry for abandoning you lately."

Well, yes, but this wasn't about you.

"This isn't about me." You pulled back to look at his face again, not dropping your arms from their locked position around his neck, "It's about you. I want you to be happy and healthy. I don't want you running yourself into the ground, working too much. Even Jack thinks you're overworking yourself and you know how much of a tyrant he is." You both laughed, "I just want my old Gabe back."

"I never went anywhere."

He kissed you gently, yet with all the passion he could muster. You knew he wanted you to feel it. To feel how sorry he was, how right you were and how much he loved you all at the same time.

Pulling away, he rested his forehead against yours; a huge grin plastered across his face. It made you feel so comfortably warm inside and a blush made its way to your cheeks. You looked down at the grey carpet between your feet and giggled. You bit your bottom lip, looking back up at him through your lashes, "Let's go get some sleep."

Then he ruined the moment.

He ruined it by taking a sniff of his armpits and grimacing. That grimace was soon replaced with a smirk as he pulled you as close to his chest as possible. He whispered low in your ear, "I'll make you a deal." You hummed, "I'll get some sleep...if you shower with me first."

You pulled back from him with a laugh, grabbing his hand to lead him back to his quarters, "Deal."

\------------------------------------------------------

Your eyes cracked open to be greeted by the golden rays pouring in through Gabriel's open, satin curtains. You tried to reach for your phone to check the time, but felt a strong arm holding you in place. You smiled. You didn't want to wake him on the one rare occasion he didn't need to be up early, so you settled back against him and tried to drift back off again.

However, that was proving difficult. With the combination of the glaring sun, the constant ticking of the antique clock he insisted on keeping, and his snoring right in your ear, you gave up. Desperate to know the time, you tried again to reach your phone and were almost there when, this time, you were pulled back.

"Where do you think you're going?" He mumbled, half against the pillow, half against your neck.

You rolled your eyes, "I'm not going anywhere, I just want to know what time it is."

After a few moments of squeezing you and kissing the back of your neck, he let go of you and turned to look at that old, wooden clock. You felt him jump slightly, as if panicked.

"What's wrong?" You asked turning to face him.

"It's already 9:30! My alarm didn't go off, I have to..."

You smiled then, when he suddenly remembered that he had the day off today. His panic turned into a warm smile to return yours and he leaned forward to peck your nose. You both lay back down into the comfort of the pillows and sheets, facing each other. He ran his hand through your hair as his other lay of your cheek lovingly. You traced the scars and defined muscles on his chest. The two of you stayed like that, exchanging idle chit chat, jokes and soft kisses until the clock read 10:34am.

"Let's go into town." You suggested.

"Anything you want, dulzura." He kissed your forehead and made moves to get ready for the day.

\------------------------------------------------

Your little adventure into town had been amazing. The weather was perfect; not cold, but not too hot either, with a cooling breeze once every few minutes. The people were polite, helpful, cheery. You'd held hands as you explored the local shops and parks. Gabe had gone to find a restroom whilst you almost bought the entire contents of a cute little bakery you'd found. You met up again when you left and he returned. Perfectly in sync.

Now you were back with your pastries; sugary and delicious...all of Gabriel's favourites. A new recruit stopped him to ask him something on the way back to his quarters and you took it as the perfect opportunity to execute your little plan.

"I'll meet you back at the room," You'd said waving to him.

You almost felt bad, as you saw the slight annoyance in his eyes, but you wanted to set something up for him.

On entering his room you worked fast, knowing he'd be joining you any time soon. You knew that Gabe's idea of a romantic date was a picnic somewhere completely secluded from everyone else. You'd spoken about it before; what you'd both do if you had the time for 'the perfect date', but you rarely had the time. Right now, you didn't have much time either...or a beautiful secluded spot on a beach or the top of a hill...but you did have pastries.

You grabbed his burgundy, fleece blanket out of the wardrobe and threw it across the top of his bed sheets. You then arranged the treats from the bakery (somewhat artfully) around it and waited. Sat atop the reddish-purple fleece, your stomach started to rumble. One bite wouldn't hurt, right? You took a chocolate croissant and took a bite, eyes closing with the still warm freshness of the thing. An 'ahem' brought you out of you temporary bliss.

"You're getting crumbs all over my bed." He was trying to look serious; arms folded, eyebrow raised, but you could see the playful smile trying to curve the edges of his mouth.

You almost choked as you laughed at him.

When you'd swallowed the piece of sweet pastry, you beckoned him to you with a single finger as you licked your lips. His arms dropped from their crossed position and he made his way over to the bed filled with his much-loved sweet treats (you being his absolute favourite) and sat opposite you. He could see the mischievous smile on your face.

You leaned over all the baked goods and whispered as seductively as you could in his ear, "Dig in."

He looked at you with half-lidded eyes and a dopey smile and a blush crept its way up his chest to lightly dust across his dark skin. Your resolve faltered and you could no longer hold back the hearty laugh that belted forward as you sat back.

He smirked amusedly, "Just you wait until these are gone..." he motioned over the pastries separating you, "...I'm gonna devour the sweetest treat of all."

He winked at you and it was your turn to blush as he chuckled around a bite of a pink, iced donut.

You couldn't help but watch him for the rest of your 'date'. You watched him carefully, studying every inch of his being, every twitch of his face, every movement of his hands. You listened to him too. Really listened. You listened to his jokes and stories and his laughter. His laughter was your favourite. It made you beam from ear to ear.

He was happy...just the way he deserved to be.


	9. When The Music Hits (Lúcio Correia dos Santos/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When your whole life is turned upside down by a second omnic crisis, Lúcio's music hits and you feel no pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Here, take my hand. Everything is fine, just hold onto me and keep moving.”

When did you get here? Why were you here? Where was 'here'?

The last thing you remember before waking from complete blackness, was having dinner around the table with your family. Was it Christmas? A birthday? Something.

Now, you lay surrounded and covered by rubble and debris, a prominent throbbing in your ears and an ache in your head. You reached up to touch your temple to feel a wet, warmth transfer to your cold fingers. Looking down at them when you pulled them away, you could see the distinct crimson shade of blood. You were bleeding...and from what you could tell, you were bleeding quite a lot.

As your consciousness slowly returned, your senses awakened to more and more of the devastation around you. The air smelled of smoke and dust with a sickening undertone of something metallic; iron or copper. You couldn't really feel your left leg and looked down to notice it was buried beneath what was once a part of the roof of your house. A shrill scream from behind where you lay, reminded you that your hearing was returning. The sound wasn't familiar, but the voice was.

Mrs. Valdez was your elderly neighbour; a kind, quiet widow who lived with her beloved longhaired dachshund, Darwin. That's what she was screaming. She was looking for Darwin. You turned your head as far as you could in the direction of her voice, and out of the corner of your eye, you saw her. She was on her knees crying helplessly, still calling for her dearly loved dog. Then suddenly...he was in her arms; barking and wagging his little tail.

A grey-haired man dressed in a patriotic, leather jacket had passed the dog to her and started to usher her (presumably) to safety. As the man put an arm around Mrs. Valdez and began barking orders to people out of your line of sight, you noticed the number '76' on his back. What was going on?

Before you could return your gaze forward, you felt the rubble being lifted from your body. You felt like you could breathe again.

Turning your head back, you saw...wait...is that a gorilla? You felt like this must be some kind of messed up nightmare world where armoured apes were hauling pieces of your broken life off of your bleeding body and mysterious, visor-wearing, leather-clad heroes were saving old ladies dogs. When you pinched yourself though, it hurt. Everything hurt.

"Here, take my hand." A sudden wave of calmness washed over your body as the voice and the music accompanying it reached your ears, "Everything is fine, just hold onto me and keep moving."

You reached out to take the hand of the dark-skinned male who offered it and he helped you stand. Suddenly the gloom was gone and the brightness stung your eyes. The man threw an arm around your waist and held you steady as he guided you towards a large ship. His skin was soft, his voice calming and his music...that music was hypnotizing. You were almost lulled to sleep before a sudden, sinister realization hit you smack-bang between the eyes. Your head shot up so fast it made your mysterious musical saviour gasp.

"My family...I need to go back...my parents are..."

Meeting his eyes, you noticed he was already looking at you; expression miserable and sympathetic, "Let's get you healed up first, yeah?"

You knew what that meant.

They were gone. Everyone was gone.

You fell defeated against him and he held you tight as you sobbed your way to a dreamless sleep.

\------------------------------------------------------------

The aftermath of the second omnic uprising had been dreadful, but the newly reformed Overwatch were slowly, but surely making the world a safer place again.

It'd been a whole seven months since you lost everything and you were beginning to, not only get used to your new prosthetic leg, but learning to love it too. With the help and encouragement of your new friends of course.

During your stay at the new 'Overwatch' medical bay, an alarm had risen you from your sleep. It had turned out a hacker was trying to infiltrate the systems to find out which members had returned to fight once again and who the new additions were. After being informed of this, you had requested to be taken to the control room where you successfully blocked the hack from your wheelchair. Winston was stunned by your technical skills...and that's why you're here now. One of the new additions to the world's greatest peacekeeping team.

Jesse jokes and teases you, but he's always there with useful advice. Angela is constantly making sure you feel okay and that the leg is fitting nicely, even Torbjorn asks if you need any improvements. Winston and Lena compliment and praise you on how well you're dealing with it, but no one has been as supportive as Lúcio.

Since the day he picked you up in your destroyed hometown, Lúcio had been by your side with that soothing influence you often needed. He kept you calm throughout it all. He held you when you cried. He played you music to help you sleep. He listened when you needed to vent.

Anywhere there was darkness, Lúcio brought light.

You smiled at that evocative thought as you turned onto your opposite side to see the very man that was on your mind. You couldn't help the affectionate feeling that ran throughout your being as you watched him sleep. You couldn't stop your fingers brushing lightly at the loose hair at his temple. He sighed contently and you moved your hand away jerkily, fearing you'd woken him up.

A smile graced his lips, "Mmm, don't stop now."

His arm reached out and pulled you against him by your waist. You gave him a little giggle, which he returned when you pecked his nose with a soft kiss. Your fingers went back to playing with his hair and his eyes opened to look at you for the first time today.

His smile faded into a genuine look of pure admiration, "You're so beautiful."

You bit your bottom lip lightly and met his gaze, "Not as beautiful as you."

His pearly white grin returned, before his mouth was occupied with giving you a deep, adoring kiss. Your favourite kind of kiss. You giggled again as you pulled away gently.

When his glossy eyes opened once more to meet yours, he whispered, "What did I do to deserve someone as amazing as you?"

In your mind, there was only one way to answer that. Three words that had so many more meanings behind them than just the obvious.

"You saved me."


	10. More Than Friends (Lena Oxton/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally realise that your best friend may be more than just that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "We're not just friends, and you know it."

You'd kissed Lena before, but not like this. In the past you'd both brushed them off as friendly, meaningless kisses between inseparable best friends...short little pecks as you congratulated each other on achievements or as you said goodbye for the night. But friends didn't share lip locks like the one you were currently invested in. Friends didn't share lip locks that sent strangely warm jolts of electric pleasure throughout your body, lip locks that set the butterflies into motion beyond the lining of your stomach, lip locks that felt like they'd never last long enough.

Reluctantly, you took a step backwards and disconnected your lips from hers. It took a second for your eyes to open and face her, but when they did, hers remained closed for half a second longer before she returned your timid gaze. Oh, this was a little awkward.

"So...uh...I'll see you tomorrow?" She mumbled after a beat of silence.

You wanted to scream, to say what had been on your mind for the past few weeks, to grab her by the collar and drag her into a more heated kiss...but you didn't. You couldn't.

You cleared your throat and your eyes drifted to the floor, "Um...yeah, sure...see you tomorrow."

You offered her a small smile before turning on your heel and entering your room. Once your door was closed you leaned your back against it and slid down it until your butt hit the carpeted floor beneath you. You sighed as your head fell into hands. Then you heard Lena move away beyond the door; it seemed she'd stayed there for while. Why that was, you didn't know and for now you didn't care. You lifted yourself up from the floor and stripped out of your clothes on the way to your welcoming bed.

\-------------------------------------------------------

You got to training early this morning. After being woken from your already broken sleep at stupid o' clock by a couple of new recruits fighting outside of your room, you'd decided to just get up. So, now you were here with thirty minutes to spare before scheduled training started.

You were waiting alone in the gym, entertaining yourself on your phone, before agents and recruits started trickling in through the large entrance to the left of where you sat against a wall.

You weren't really sure if it'd be awkward with Lena this morning or not, but you kind of hoped you'd just taken last night out of context and were just over thinking it and everything would be normal.

You didn't have to worry anyway.

Lena didn't show up.

You walked through the corridors of the watchpoint, questions and possible scenarios zipping through your head, all of them regarding your best friend. You were on auto-pilot, and didn't notice you'd reached the cafeteria until the smell of something homely and warm reached your nostrils, accompanied by the sound of a familiar sweet voice.

"Hey, Y/N! Are you busy later? Do you want to own that boss fight on Siege Mode 3?"

"Hey, Hana. Maybe..." Distracted. Mumbling, "Erm...have you seen Lena today?"

"Wow. Downer." She smiled to reinforce the playfulness in the statement before replying, "She's helping the gorilla with some new invention he's working on. Lúcio says she requested to work with Winston in the lab today instead of training 'cause she doesn't feel great."

"Oh."

_Doesn't feel great?_

"You okay?" She smiled genuinely.

You nodded with a furrowed brow, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good."  You returned her smile and shot her a couple of finger guns, "Siege Mode 3 later."

You left her with a small wave and whipped around out of the cafeteria.

Determination fuelled your stride towards Winston's lab. You didn't really know where this had come from, what exactly you were going to say...but you were going to say it. You had to. Now or never, right?

The large, metallic door to the lab crept up on you faster than expected. Your haste wore away as it got closer and closer. You hadn't realised your hands were shaking until one of them reached out in front of you to press against the identification pad to open the door. It opened with a 'whoosh', drawing the attention of the three people in the room. All six eyes trained on your face, but yours quickly found Lena.

Then the gazes of the three lab occupants moved. Lena's went to the ground beneath her feet, Winston's went to Lena with a sympathetic air, and that of the confused trainee scientist went to Winston. The gorilla was the one to break the stillness. He took a step towards the trainee and cleared his throat, "Milton, could you accompany me to the workshop? Torbjorn will show you how he and I sometimes collaborate on new builds."

The new recruit nodded quickly, a distinct look of bewilderment still present on his face. The two left without another word, but Winston briefly paused beside you at the door to give Lena an encouraging single nod.

Once the silver door clanged shut behind them, the room was eerily quiet. You looked around curiously, and, hoping to break the tension spoke softly, "What're you guys working on?"

She met your gaze and offered a small, bashful smile, "Oh, I don't really know." A little giggle left her throat, "The big guy says it's something that'll benefit all of us in the field if he gets it right."

"Cool."

You begin to wonder the lab, inspecting the various tech and pieces of metal and plastic scattered around desks. You trailed your hand along one as you passed it. Your wondering was definitely a way of stalling. Not really wanting to have to get to the point you'd came here to make. You noticed Lena watching your every move from your peripheral. She likely knew what this strange behaviour was about.

She coughed lightly, "So, did training go well? I'm sorry I didn't tell you I wouldn't be there today...I was just really interested in this thing Winston was talking about and then he said I could come and help figure it out...well not 'help' exactly because I don't really..."

"Lena, stop." You cut off her high-speed rambling.

"Sorry." She almost whispered.

Just as softly you said, "Are we going to talk about it?"

"About what?" She shifted and her stare fell to the floor once more.

You sighed deeply and collected all the confidence you could. You stepped forward and lifted her head to bring her eyes level with yours again, "We're not just friends, and you know it."

She didn't say anything...not for a long while. She just stared deep into your eyes, searching them for something; what it was you weren't sure. She must have found it because her eyes closed, seemingly satisfied with their exploration of yours. Your eyes closed momentarily too, but before you even had time to think of anything else to say or open your eyes, you felt her lips on yours.

You felt her lean into you,  the deep kiss simultaneously, familiar and brand new. Your muscles relaxed and your arms encircled her waist as you returned her kiss with all the passion you'd been holding inside for weeks. She hummed quietly against your mouth as her hands wrapped around your neck and one of her hands tangled in the hair at the base of your neck.

After a moment of complete contentment, you parted; the two of you sharing a gentle chuckle as your eyes opened. You looked at her and she bit her lip, the view made those butterflies return in full force.

"You're right...we're not just friends."

You rolled your eyes playfully and couldn't stop the laughter that soaked your words, "About time you realised."

She laughed heartily and you snuggled close to each other stood in your spot in the middle of that lab. To you, it didn't matter where you stood, as long as you stood with her

...everything was perfectly right.


	11. Stuck With You (Jesse McCree/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mission in London goes awry and you end up coming to a few realisations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Would you quit moving around?” “It’s not my fault we’re tied up together!”

Your butt was beginning to get numb on the hard, cold ground you sat on. Your arms were sore from being thrust behind your back and tied to your companion. The dreary, concrete walls of the empty London warehouse becoming far too familiar for your liking. How long had you been here? This was not how this mission was supposed to go. It was supposed to be a quick 'in and out' job, but you were captured...both of you.

"What were you thinking facin' that scumbag without back up?"

You raised your eyebrows for effect, even though you knew he couldn't see, "If you weren't too busy flirting the pants off of that waitress, maybe you wouldn't have missed the target slipping out of the back door into the alley, which then would have lead to you joining me and we would have had a better chance at taking down his group of cronies before they got the jump on me."

As you collected your breath, Jesse scoffed, "Maybe you shouldn't have bust out on your own, guns blazin'...as usual."

You had a difficult past. Blackwatch had given you a second chance, much the same way they had given Jesse McCree one too. Reyes was strict, but fair. He wanted the best for all agents under his command and believed everyone could redeem themselves...you appreciated his faith and wanted to prove that you were worthy of it. So, you always gave every mission your all. Did everything possible to prove you deserved this second chance. However, being paired with Jesse on most missions made that just a little bit more difficult. The young rebel seemed more interested in making sarcastic comments and bagging himself a one night stand than completing a Blackwatch task.

The two of you had always had an _interesting_ relationship. Reyes found it highly amusing and you were sure he put you together purposely to test you. You and Jesse didn't hate each other, but you would never say you were friends either. He didn't like how you were reckless in combat; often putting yourself in unnecessary danger with a drive to prove yourself that he failed to understand. You didn't like how full of himself he was; seemingly on a personal mission to charm every living thing in sight (trust me, even the trees aren't safe).

You let out a loud, frustrated growl as you struggled against the restraints binding your ankles together and the ones tying your wrists to Jesse's in the space between your backs.

“Would you quit moving around?” He snarled through gritted teeth.

“It’s not my fault we’re tied up together!”

"It's your fault your squirmin' like a tied hog ready for roastin'!"

"Jess, you really got to get some better analogies."

"No, YOU need to stop..."

He was cut off abruptly by a high-pitched voice, similar in tone to that of one you'd heard on a news report belonging to some scrawny junker yelling about bombs; the Australian accent replaced by a cockney one. The voice belonged to one of your target's cronies. The target you were supposed to be bringing in, not being caught by. "Having a domestic are we?"

He giggled maniacally as he approached the two of you. You couldn't see him yet as he was entering through the door Jesse was facing, but you recognised his annoying voice from earlier. The giggling faded and turned into a contemplative hum as he made his way into your peripheral vision. You recognised his glossy, black hair, styled into spikes that looked sharp and sturdy enough to pierce skin. As he reached your front, you realised he was wielding a pistol; precariously shaking it in his right hand as if it were a toy.

Your objective had been to bring in his boss; an omnic named, Alger. He was the leader of an organised crime ring that'd been terrorising the streets of London; none more than the nearby King's Row. You'd tried to take him down alone in an alley behind a restaurant he'd been spotted in. Only, you didn't realise he had four of his buddies waiting outside and they beat you to the punch (Literally. One of them punched you directly in the face). Jesse had heard a commotion and noticed the lack of your presence just in time to race through the door and be (serendipitously for the bad guys) knocked out unceremoniously by an already swung baseball bat.

The lanky, dark-haired man crouched in front of you, close enough that you could see the differing shades of green in his irises and feel his warm breath on your cheeks. He licked his lips before grinning excitedly. You hadn't noticed the blue-haired female leaning against the wall to your left until she spoke, "Webber, before you even start, leave the girl alone."

"She's pretty, it'd be a shame not to play with her a little." That really got to you. Without thought, you spat directly in his eye, "BITCH!" You were sure you heard Jesse chuckle before Webber stood; one hand holding the pistol at your head, the other wiping his eye.

The girl strode towards him and took the gun from his hand, "I still don't fucking know why Alger keeps you around here, you idiot." She then looked at you, but seemed to still be addressing him as she spoke. "I told you already...this one's mine." She brought the gun back to pointing at your head, "This little cutie thought she could get away with this."

The girl pointed at a bruise, only just noticeable, forming around her heavily black-lined eyes. _So she was the one you'd landed a nice hit on back at the alley_. You smirked, "I was helping you out...maybe you won't have to put on so much eyeliner tomorrow."

She laughed bitterly as she crouched to your level. You looked up past her to see Webber smirking, a knowing glint in his eye. Your gaze moved back to hers as she rested the gun between your eyes, "You wanna be a smart-ass, cutie?"

You shrugged, "I mean, I can be..."

You could feel Jesse trying to undo the ties that bound you together. The blue-haired girl pressed the gun harder into the space between your eyes as her other hand took a firm grip around your throat, "Webber's right, you are pretty...such a cute little face...it's a damn shame I'm gonna have to ruin it." She cocked the gun with a wicked smile and Webber giggled like a kid at Disneyland behind her. You felt Jesse tense. "Now...I could just end you now and then deal with your boyfriend back there...or...I could drag this out." She smirked up at Webber briefly before looking back at you, "...play with you a little."

"Won't boss man be pissed if you kill a valuable hostage?" Your words came out confident and sarcastic, but truthfully, you were scared. These two were actually crazy.

She laughed again, standing to pass Webber the gun with a warning look. He pointed it back at you, but you were sure that look she'd given him was a silent 'don't you dare kill her yet'. She then retrieved a silver blade from a strap on her ankle and crouched again, "You aren't 'valuable', love. We have no interest in Overwatch." Your eyes widened slightly, "Oh, yes. We know you're from the famous freedom-fighting bunch...you've been after Alger for months. He doesn't much care for you and your boy scout leaders...expendable. Worthless. Not _valuable_."

She took the blade to your cheek and slowly cut along your cheek bone. You tried your best to stay stoic, but your breath hitched and you squirmed with the pain. You clenched your eyes shut and she was just about to give you a new slash on your upper arm when you felt Jesse's warm fingers wrap around yours and squeeze reassuringly.

"Hey, you just gonna ignore me over here? It's pretty rude to ignore 1/4 of this fine double date we got goin' on."

Webber giggled once more, "Hey Paige, I think Mr. Deep South wants a little attention."

Paige rolled her dark brown eyes with a sigh, "How sweet. He's trying to distract us from hurting his cute little bitch...it won't work."

She punctuated the last word with a deep slash across your shoulder and you cried out in pain. Jesse once again squeezed your fingers and began 'shh'ing you as the first actual tear fell down your defeated face, "Shh, it's alright, sweet pea...I'm sorry...just..."

The two maniacs in front of you starting to laugh in tandem over Jesse's attempts to comfort you; mocking him, mocking you. They soon stopped though when gunshots could be heard from the other side of the warehouse. Paige quickly stood up and looked at Webber with wide eyes. The lanky criminal shrugged and they both jogged towards the door. Paige stopped in the doorway before leaving and smiled sweetly at Jesse, "I'll be back to finish her off...don't you worry."

She winked before closing the door behind her. You heard Jesse snarl as he watched them disappear into the corridor. Worry was dripping from the next words to leave his mouth, "Y/N? Are you alright? They didn't hurt you too bad did they, sweet pea?"

You choked back a sob, "I'm okay...thank you...for..."

He stopped you before you could go any further, "Now, hey, don't mention it. We gotta get out of these restraints, yeah? Come on, we gotta..."

Jesse was cut off for what seemed like the 75th time today as the door swung open. You cringed as the image of both of Alger's cronies crouched before you permeated your mind. But it wasn't Webber's voice you heard...or Paige's. It was...

_Reyes?_

"Can I ever trust you two ingrates to do a job right?"

He sounded pissed, but knowing him as well as you did, you were able to sense a hint of relief in his tone. You heard multiple sets of combat boots approaching and before you knew it...you were free.

You stood shakily with Jesse's help and turned to be faced with several Blackwatch agents; Commander Reyes at the forefront. You glanced at your friend, Genji, and could tell he was smirking amusedly behind the silver covering his mouth. Your eyes narrowed at him before you looked back at Reyes. It felt like you and Jesse were on trial, under scrutiny. Both of your gazes dropped to the floor and your voice came out as hardly a whisper, "Sorry, sir."

Reyes just scoffed and instructed a soldier to his right, "Get them to a medic."

\--------------------------------------------

**Medical wing, Watchpoint: Gibaltar. Hours later...**

"So, this one should heal up fine, but this one will definitely leave a scar. I'm going to give you some pain medication for..."

Although you seemed to be looking at her, you weren't really listening to Angela as she rambled on about your pain meds and your injuries, you were more interested in what was behind her. Over her shoulder, you could see Jesse sitting on a bed with a bandage wrapped around his baseball bat wound...he was staring at you. You didn't make it obvious that you knew he was looking, you just cunningly watched as his eyes bore into your face.

"Y/N?" Oh shit.

"Umm...yeah, okay." You mumbled.

You heard Jesse chuckle.

Angela sighed, "Were you even listening to anything I just told you?"

"Yes." You nodded enthusiastically...maybe too much, "I mean, most of it."

She waved her hand at you with another sigh before walking into her office mumbling about not knowing why she bothers anymore and making sure she'd write it all down for you. You looked up at Jesse and mouthed the words 'oops', which earned you another chuckle.

It was quiet for a while, until he spoke up, "It's gonna be a mighty fine scar...you're gonna look real tough."

Looking up to meet his gaze, you raised an eyebrow at him and mimicked his southern drawl, "You sayin' I don't look tough, cowboy?"

That earned you more than a chuckle. Jesse let out a hearty laugh that made you heart skip a beat, "Don't matter if you do or you don't...I know how tough you are."

You composed yourself, trying to subtly reign in your racing heart before giving him an amused, slightly quizzical look, "Is that a compliment, Jesse McCree?"

"It might be." he grinned.

There was another beat of silence before a guilty realisation hit you. You looked sincerely into his warm, brown eyes which were already trained on yours. "Look, I'm sorry for always trying to take on the world single-handedly. I shouldn't have gone out there without you...this never would have..."

He rolled his head around and his neck gave a small crack to accompany the sound of him sighing, "Y/N, stop apologizing. We both shoulda thought more about what we were doin'. I should have been payin' attention to you, not some waitress. It ain't your fault."

"A compliment _and_ an admission of guilt? Who are you and what have you done with McCree?" You snorted a laugh. It took him a second, but he returned it, "Did you at least get her number?"

"Nah...asked her on a date and she shut me down."

"Bummer." You smirked at him and he rolled his eyes at you, "What type of date did you offer her anyway?"

"I can show you." He winked.

That caught you way off guard. You blushed hard, but hoped he didn't notice as you tried to hide your head as your gaze dropped to the clinical floor of the med-bay. You cleared your throat and spoke through a nervous laugh, "Shut up, Jess."

"I'm serious, Y/N. Come out with me tomorrow night?"

You lifted your head to see him offering you the most serious look you'd seen on him. You thought about it for a few moments before putting him out of his misery, "Alright."

He smiled then; a big, genuine, dopey smile and hopped down off of his bed to help you off of yours. The two of you walked side by side towards the exit of the med-bay, Jesse nudging you slightly with a chuckle as you went. He opened the door for you as a Swiss accent called you back.

"Y/N! You forgot these!" She was holding out a bag of meds with a handwritten note attached.

You glanced at Jesse and he smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow night."

He leaned forward to give you a gentle, warming kiss on your cheek and left.

Left you with a fuzzy feeling building in your stomach.

Left you with a huge smile etched onto your face.

Left you feeling more content than you had in years.

Left you with the realisation that you always had kinda liked that rebel.


	12. Fake? (Jack Morrison/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your parents are desperate to meet your new boyfriend...but is he all he seems to be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Please pretend to be my boyfriend?"

Working for Overwatch and being stationed at the base in Spain, meant you didn't get to see your family much. You were so busy these days that you rarely had time to even video chat with them anymore, but when you did, your mother always made sure to check up on you...annoyingly.

"So when are you going to introduce us?" She asked with a raise of her eyebrows over the holoscreen.

She'd been asking about any potential partners practically since you were shipped out, but you'd always told her you had no time...to which she'd reply 'there's always time for love'. You never really understood why it was so important to her that you were with someone. You supposed that maybe she feared you were lonely. Decidedly, you'd scoffed and laughed her off for too long and her questions were getting old. So, in the hopes that she'd back down, you decided to tell a little white lie. Now she was convinced you had a boyfriend...and was a little too excited about it.

You rolled your eyes and flung your head backwards before returning it to its original position and looking straight into your mothers persistent gaze, "I don't know. I hardly get time off, Ma."

"I thought you had the weekend off this week? You said you were spending it with him, right? Maybe your father and I could take a little vacation to..."

"No." You snapped with wide, panicked eyes; cutting her off mid-sentence.

"We haven't seen you in so long...and I've heard Spain is nice this time of year."

"Ma, please. You'll meet him. There's no need for you to go out of your way trying to book last minute flights and stuff. Besides, Spain is overrated."

You were lying, of course. Spain _was_ nice this time of year. The breeze perfectly warmed your skin during the day and cooled you ideally at night. The smells of freshly baked bread, cooking chorizo and the ocean salt took turns to fill your nostrils as you walked through the town, the markets and by the crystal blue shoreline. The locals were friendly and helpful, always ready with a smile and a guiding hand. The flora was beautiful; the exotic looking birds using it to build homes and keep watch over the people below. Spain was great.

She sighed; seemingly defeated, "Alright. I'll talk to you later. Love you."

You sighed too, only yours was one of relief that she'd given up on the idea of coming to see you, "Love you too. Talk soon. Bye."

The call ended. You placed your holopad down onto the end table and flopped ungracefully down into the crisp, white sheets of your bed.

\-----------------------------------------------------

You closed your eyes, smiled gently and inhaled deeply on your spot on the steps of a large monument in the centre of town. You took a moment to inhale all of those warming scents and fresh sea air as you took a step forward to meet the level pavement of the market square. However, you stumbled slightly and your eyes snapped back open as a firm body collided with your own.

A strong arm came forth to help you regain your balance and you looked to it's owner to be greeted by the familiar face of your commander, Jack Morrison; his handsome features painted with concern, "Sorry, Y/N, I wasn't paying attention. Are you alright?"

You smiled gently, hoping to relieve some of his worry, "I'm fine. Nothing to worry about, commander." He returned your smile somewhat sheepishly as his grip fell from your bicep and he tucked both hands away into the pockets of his black jeans. _Jeans?_ That wasn't very _Jack_. Your eyes trailed up from his jean pockets, passed a tight white t-shirt covered by a tan leather jacket, to his cerulean eyes, "You off duty today, sir?"

He chuckled lightly, "I am. Captain Amari reckons I could use the break, so she's overseeing the base today. Also, being off-duty means less of the 'sir', it's Jack."

The two of you got along well. You'd sometimes talk at lunch, occasionally watch a movie or two in the recreational room, shoot the shit about Reyes or McCree or some new recruit. However, you were always professional...just in case. You stood straight and saluted exaggeratedly, "Sorry...Jack."

The both of you began to laugh jovially just as a voice calling your name made your stomach feel like it had dropped to the grey concrete below you.

Your mother.

"Y/N? Surprise!"

You turned to your right see her making her way through the crowds, your father waving to you from just behind her. You suddenly remembered what you'd told her you were doing this weekend.

"Shit." You whispered under your breath. With alarm-stricken eyes, you turned to Jack and pulled him closer, "Please pretend to be my boyfriend?"

"What?" His whispered sharply, before quickly catching on and wrapping his arm around your waist just as your parents stepped into the space in front of you.

They both hugged you and then quickly turned their attention to the man by your side. You mother grinned at you, "Is this him?"

You looked up at Jack sheepishly, and to your surprise, he looked perfectly comfortable. Before you could respond to your mother or, indeed, the look on Jack's face, he spoke for you. He held out his hand to your mother for her to shake, "Hello. I'm Jack. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

You mother offered you a smirk with her side glance, "You too, we've been waiting a while."

Jack then shook your fathers hand and exchanged pleasantries with him too.

You squirmed awkwardly as a silence fell over the group. Jack cleared his throat and pulled you even tighter to his side, "So, are you staying long?"

That was it. He opened the conversational flood gates. As your three companions nattered, you'd all somehow made your way into a small, terracotta cafe and were currently seated by a window. Your dad ordered drinks for everyone and offered to buy Jacks, to which Jack counter-offered to pay for everyone. They bickered light-heartedly, but eventually Jack's charm won over your dad who sighed in defeat with a playful smile. You cringed and subconsciously dropped your head into your hands.

"Are you alright, darling?" Your mother asked and suddenly all eyes were on you.

You straightened up and plastered on a smile, "Yeah, of course."

Jack gave you a sickeningly sweet smile as you spared him a glance.

\-----------------------------------------------------

A round of milkshakes were on their way to replace the empty cola glasses. Your parents had ordered food and it didn't look like you were leaving anytime soon. Conversation between Jack and your parents was flowing; family, cars, jobs. Your parents were very impressed by the fact that he was a commander. You didn't think this could be any more awkward or strange, but every time you glanced at Jack, he seemed to be completely at ease. Who knew he was such a good actor?

Then she asked it. Your mother asked the million dollar question, "So, how did you two get together?"

You stuttered and coughed, trying to formulate some sort of anecdotal romance and failing terribly. You looked to your right to find Jack staring at you lovingly. He beamed towards your mother to began his answer, "Well, the first time I saw them, I knew they were the one for me." Typical. You snorted in your mind, but were careful not to show your distaste out loud as your parents lapped it up. He continued, "Strong, both mentally and physically. Smart, beautiful, funny. One of the only people to understand my humour...and my love of old-fashioned cowboy movies." Your parents joined him in a giggle, "I thought about them all the time...couldn't will myself to stop." You turned again to see that Jack was staring at you again; this look of awe in his sparkling eyes as they bore into you, "I always knew I loved them."

After his little speech, you gawked at each other for what seemed like an eternity until your mother's coos and 'aww's snapped you out of it, "You two are so sweet!"

Then your father looked across the table at Jack, "Say, our niece is getting married during the holidays. I don't know if Y/N mentioned it, but you'd be more than welcome to come as their date?"

You almost choked on a mouthful of milkshake as you spluttered, "No, no...Jack has important stuff to do with Overwatch and he..."

"I'd love to come." Jack cut in. You stared at him, mouth agape. He raised an eyebrow at you and smirked cockily, "It'll be fun, won't it, sweetheart?"

You cleared your throat and put on that signature smile, "Yeah, sure."

\-------------------------------------------------------

A few milkshakes and a salad later, you and Jack were walking your parents back to their hotel. Your father walked ahead whilst our mother tagged along beside you and your fake boyfriend. Jack had taken it upon himself to interlace his fingers with yours. You hated to admit how right his warm hand felt in yours; how the feeling brought butterflies to your tummy. Your father stopped outside of an impressively imposing building and waited for the three of you to catch up, "This is us."

You smiled, letting go of Jacks hand in favour of hugging your father, "I'll see you soon, dad."

You then turned to offer a hug to your mother too when she'd finally released Jack from the death grip she'd locked him in. Out of the corner of your eye, you watched Jack shake hands with your father as your mother hugged you back, "He's a keeper." She grinned.

You rolled your eyes at her again, "See you later, Ma."

Jack returned to his position at your side, deciding to, once again, join your hands as you both used your free ones to wave your parents goodbye. Once they were out of view, you dropped your head and whispered, "Sorry about all of that."

You went to release your hand from his, but he gripped it tighter, "What are you sorry for?"

You looked up at him to see he was smiling again. In fact, you don't think you'd seen him smile so much in one day before, "For having you put up with their nonsense. For taking your day off away from you. For making you pretend."

"I wasn't pretending." He said flatly as he searched your timid eyes.

You felt a blush creep up your chest and blossom on your face. You dropped your head again, as to hide your embarrassment, but he caught it with his thumb and forefinger; lifting your gaze to his once more. You giggled; shy under his intent stare, "What're you..."

Before you could finish, his lips met yours with fervour. Softer than you'd imagined, but no less perfect. The hand that'd held your chin moved to cup your cheek as the other wound its way around your waist. You stood there dumbfounded for a moment, but not too long as you began to return the kiss; the feeling too right to deny. You clasped your arms around his neck as one of your hands played with the hair at the base of it. He hummed in response before pulling away reluctantly.

Your forehead pressed together and neither one of you could erase the huge ear-to-ear grins that'd graced both of your faces. His thumb brushed at your cheek as he used his other arm to pull your chests flush together, "I wasn't pretending." He repeated.

You felt your cheeks flush again as you pecked his lips before giggling, "I wish you'd have done that sooner...I would never have had to lie."

He chuckled, "Oh, believe me, I wanted to. I've wanted to for a long time. Just needed an excuse."

You laughed and pulled him in for another enthusiastic kiss.

After pulling away once more, Jack smiled, "What d'ya say we go search these shops for something to wear to your cousins wedding? I think I need a new shirt."

You giggled again, "Sure."

The two of you walked back into the town centre hand in hand with huge grins plastered across your faces. The midday sun met you there, offering your skin the perfect warmth to accompany the one you felt inside. There was nothing fake about the way you felt; the way he felt.

This felt real. This felt right

...it always had.


	13. As Long As We're Together, pt. 1 (Jesse McCree/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Jesse McCree are kindred spirits in a world of cruel intent.
> 
> (In an AU in which Deadlock!Jesse runs away before Deadlock were taken in by Overwatch.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt, "Let's go get lost somewhere".
> 
> (This turned out to be longer than I planned, so have two chapters! p.s. I'm sorry if your name is Angelica!)

You sat atop a red rock overlooking the gorge, a pleasant breeze weaving through your hair and lessening the burn of the midday sun. You closed your eyes and took a deep inhale of desert air picking up the distinct smell of the creosote bush drying out from the morning's rare shower. As you leaned back, you let your mind wander back to your days working at 'The High Tide' and began to wonder what would've happened if a certain gang hadn't taken an interest in you.

_You'd been working as a waitress there. It was probably illegal since you were only 17, but your boss was kind enough, if you put in the work, he gave out the cash. Not that that was much. You earned just barely enough to get by on the basics, but it was fine...you were okay. However, you'd always wanted something more. Never intended to just be 'okay'. When you'd ran away from home and ended up here, you'd dreamed of adventure, travelling, no financial cares in the world, but that was a pipe dream. Always had been. Everyone has to work to live, right?_

_The High Tide was an interesting place of work to say the least. You enjoyed the chance to people watch. All sorts of different and fascinating people passed through as a stop on their own adventures, looking for a drink, a snack or to rent one of the two small rooms the place offered. No passersby were as notable as a certain group of local regulars though._

_The Deadlock Gang. A notorious group of cowboy bikers who favoured the place for their relaxation after whatever-the-hell it was they did all day. They always interested you, but none more so than Jesse. From the very first time you saw him, you knew he was different. Nothing like the rowdy, loud, obnoxious companions he had; he was more reserved, polite and always ready with a smile and a kind word for you. He was younger too. Seemed around your age._

_It didn't take long for the gang to realise that Jesse and you had become friends on their visits. He'd always take a minute to come and say 'hey' and ask about your day. You often heard them tease him about you; accusing him of having a crush. He would always tell them they were dumb idiots, to which they'd laugh and mock him, but he didn't seem to mind whenever you were there to offer him a sweet, reassuring smile._

_One night, everything changed._

_You were about to close up when you heard loud, jeering voices approaching the opposing side of the door you were about to bolt up. Before you had chance to move or lock the door in question, it flung open. A group of about six of the most prominent Deadlock Rebels waltzed in like they owned the place, knocking you unceremoniously to the ground. Jesse was by your side in an instant, asking if you were hurt and helping you stand._

_An amused, gruff voice then sounded. It belonged to the grizzled man you'd learned was the ring leader. He was known as 'Jax', but Jesse had told you once that his full name was actually Hector Jackson. The burly, tanned-skinned man stared at you with icy blue eyes and an unnerving smile beneath his greying beard, "Sorry 'bout that lil lady. Didn't mean ta hurt ya none...I'm sure our Jesse boy'll make you feel better."_

_The rest of the gang joined in as he laughed then. You spared a glance at Jesse who was already looking at you with such a kind sympathy etched on his face. You cleared your throat and turned back to Jax, "Don't you worry about it. I was just closing up I'm 'fraid, so you boys will have to come back tomorrow."_

_All the laughter had stopped and all eyes were on you. Those piercing blue ones of the older cowboy were full of annoyance. He didn't like being told what to do, especially not by a woman._

_"Nah. I think we'll stick around a while." He said, taking a seat at their customary table, his cronies following as they usually did, "We'll have our usual order, bumblebee... and make it quick, my boys are mighty thirsty."_

_He and the gang members whom had followed began talking loudly and laughing at each other's jokes as you resigned yourself to your fate and started for the bar. That's when Jesse caught your wrist in his hand, "I'm sorry about him. I promise they'll be done here soon. I'm sorry."_

_You smiled at him as genuinely as you could before releasing your wrist and making your way to the bar. You hoped he was right...you weren't sure how your boss would feel about you letting the local rebel gang in after hours, but you supposed you didn't have much of a choice._

_A few minutes later, you made your way over to the table they sat at, expertly balancing a tray full of drinks. As you placed them in front of their owners, you couldn't help but feel Jax's unmoving stare on your face. As you finished, you saw his gaze flick quickly to Jesse, before returning to you, "So, you like working here, bumblebee?"_

_The nickname he'd given you always made you cringe. Despite that, you smiled with your reply, "It pays the bills."_

_He scoffed amusedly, "Ya know, you could be earning a lot more than the owner of this place is givin' ya."_

_You quickly noted the look of horror on Jesse's face, "Jax, knock it off..."_

_"Relax, Jesse boy. I'm just sayin' she could be doin' somethin' else to earn her keep."_

_Someone to your left gave a chuckle. You turned to see that it had come from Wyatt Jackson, Hector's son. He was undeniably good-looking. With tanned skin, cobalt eyes and a sparkling smile that seemed so out of place amongst the unkempt beard and unruly, golden hair; you'd seen many a woman swoon and fall for him in your time at The High Tide, but he was nothing more than a sleaze. He brushed his hand against yours as his eyes scanned your entire form agonisingly slowly before meeting your concerned gaze, "You're damn right she could."_

_The wink he gave you made you sick to the stomach and you wanted nothing more than to be at home, snuggled up on your sofa watching your favourite movie for the umpteenth time. You gave them both a polite 'no thanks' and were about to turn to walk away when Jax grabbed your wrist, "No. I didn't mean in the way Wyatt thinks." He offered his son a disapproving look, "Ya see, the kid doesn't think with his brain...but I do."_

_Your eyes flicked between his stare and Jesse, who you could see was giving Jax his own burning stare accompanied by gritted teeth, "I'm okay, really...this job is fine."_

_He clicked his tongue and released your wrist, "You could be making millions."_

_You whole gang was interested now; all wondering what he was planning as the cogs of his mind whirred and turned. You were sure he was exaggerating, but..._

_You thought for a second. Millions? You...could be making millions? In spite of your better judgment, your curiosity won out, "How?"_

_Jax grinned wide and you saw Jesse's pleading eyes land on you from your peripheral, "Y/N, you don't have to do anythin'..."_

_"Don't be rude, Jesse. Can't you see the lady and I are talkin'?" For a second, Jesse looked as though he was going to answer back, but thought better of it. Jax lit a cigar between his lips as he mumbled, "Join our little family."_

_You were shocked. Dumbfounded. You weren't sure that you'd heard him right, and by the looks on the faces of the other men around the table, neither were they. You stuttered, "S-Sorry, what?"_

_"Ya see, bumblebee, in this business, we gotta make a lotta deals. Most of said deals are with self-righteous a-holes or seedy b'hoys. I reckon you'd be somethin' that'd persuade any of 'em to give us the best deal...I might not even have ta get ol' Betsy out at meetings anymore." He chuckled and moved his long, black coat aside to gesture to the silver and dark wood revolver at his hip. "Maybe we need a soft touch...a woman's touch."_

_You once again struggled not to cringe at him. Was he seriously offering you a place in the Deadlock Gang? You looked across to see Jesse staring blankly at the table in front of him as though he was in some sort of trance, "And you'd pay me for that?" You asked._

_"O' course! We ain't unkind to family. I'm a man o' my word, if you help us secure deals with your...charm, you'll get a share o' the profits."_

So, that's how you'd gotten here. Five months on and part of the Deadlock Rebels, schmoozing potential arms dealers for Jax and running errands and recon. He kept his word, as promised, you always got paid, but it was hardly 'millions'. It was way more than you'd been making at The High Tide. One thing he had been less then truthful about, however, was how they would treat you.

You were under the impression that as 'family' you'd be treated the same as everyone else, with respect...but that wasn't the case. To be fair to him, Jax wasn't unkind, in fact he hardly spoke to you unless he needed something done, it was the other gang members that were a problem...especially Wyatt. He was definitely the sleaze you'd pinned him as the first time you'd saw him walk into your little bar just over a year ago. The other guys (all except Jesse) feared him and wanted to impress him. Therefore, if he was being gross towards you, they would be too.

There were many times you'd wondered why you stayed and put up with it all...was the money really worth it? Was that what was keeping you with them? Then you'd catch sight of Jesse McCree grinning cheekily at you, chewing a toothpick whilst ignoring the lecture he was receiving from Jax or another Deadlock big gun and you had your answers.

You stretched and opened your eyes again, only to squint at the harsh light of the sun bleeding into your tired orbs. You stood and were about to make your way back into the hideout, but a condescending, sing-song voice from behind you stopped you in your tracks, "Bumblebeeeee." Wyatt. You groaned and went to move forward before he was suddenly in front of you; he and two others forming a blockade to prevent you from going any further, "Hey now, where ya going Angelica?"

"Angelica is not my name." You growled as you tried to step round him.

He laughed along with the other two, and placed a hand on your collar bone to stop you again, "Woah there, hey, I know it ain't...Y/N. Angelica's a term of endearment...I'm bein' nice."

"You ain't nice." In the time you'd spend with the Deadlock gang, you'd picked up some of the language and phrases they used. Jesse said it was cute.

"Ouch. Come on, bumblebee, don't be like this." He said stepping closer until you could feel his hot breath against your face.

Suddenly, he kissed you. You pushed him with all of your might and he fell to the dusty, orange ground with a grunt. You could practically feel the rage radiating from him as he pushed aside his two buddies, you'd now recognised as Clay and Sam, and dusted himself off, standing to march towards you. He pinned you against a nearby rock wall; his left hand by your head whilst his other pinned your shoulder in place. You grit your teeth and snarled through them, "You got ten seconds to take your hands off of me before I rip them off of your body."

His friends laughed as he whistled towards them and then looked back at you with raised brows, "I love it when you get all...feisty."

"I don't care whose son you are, I will kill you in your sleep."

He smirked, "I'll make sure to sleep with one eye open then...one eye always on you, Angelica."

You looked him directly in his blue eyes and leaned close. He watched you intently, "Get. The fuck. Away. From me."

He had no time to respond before he found himself on the ground again. Jesse had thrown him there despite Sam and Clay trying to pull him back, "Didn't ya hear the lady? She told you to get away."

Wyatt got to his feet for the second time and faced Jesse, "Leave him boys." The two smaller men let Jesse go as Wyatt picked up his fallen cowboy hat and dusted it off, "The little mutt'll get what's comin' to 'im." He flicked his cruel, cerulean gaze back to you, "They both will."

He set off in the direction of the hideout. He whistled and like obedient dogs, Sam and Clay followed.

You gasped to regain the breath you hadn't realised you were holding. Jesse placed a gentle hand on your shoulder. You looked up at him to see that concern painted his handsome features, "Are you alright?"

You beamed at him, "Always am, Jess."

He chuckled and pulled you in for a tender hug. As your arms found their way around his firm body, you relished in his warm embrace and breathed in the musky scent he carried with him. You stayed like that for a few minutes before he pulled back, holding you at arm's length by your shoulders. He stared longingly into your sparkling eyes before he shook his head and looked down to the ground beneath him; his arms dropping to his sides.

Your brow furrowed as your reached out to softly stroke his upper arm, "What's wrong?"

He met your gaze once more, that adoring twinkle still present in his, "I-It's...ah, it's nothin' sweet pea. Don't you worry about it none."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I realise the dive bar type building on Route 66 in-game is called 'The High Side', this bar is merely a reference. I imagine it slightly bigger, more grimy and with cheap rooms for offer.


	14. As Long As We're Together, pt. 2 (Jesse McCree/Reader)

A few hours passed and Jax had called a meeting...and you were pretty sure you knew what it was about. You sat with the other Deadlock members around a light, wooden table constructed of old gun boxes and liquor crates. Wyatt's dagger-like gawp stung you from across the table, but Jesse laid a reassuring hand on your thigh with a gentle squeeze and you thanked him with a sweet smile.

Jax came wondering in nonchalantly, cigar hanging from his mouth as usual, shuffling his favourite pack of playing cards. Reaching the head of the makeshift table, he sat with his legs either side of the back of a green, plastic fold away chair. His eyes roamed across every member of his gang around the table, but they seemed to linger on you and Jesse just a little longer than they had on anyone else.

"Now..." He started, cigar muffling his speech as it often did, "Y'all should know by now that nothin' that goes on around here gets past me. I know fine well that there's been some trouble in the family." He smirked at you. "Some of y'all think it's okay to be fightin' with each other...it ain't. Now, we're family and families stick together. Y'all best remember that. If things ever go south with one of our buyers or the law, none of us is leaving any of us behind, y'all hear?" Most of the members nodded and shared words of agreement amongst themselves, "Good. 'Cause y'all know what happens when someone tries to leave the family, yes?" Another round of nods, but this time they were attended by fearful looks and awkward shuffles. What did happen if someone wanted to leave? "Every soul sittin' here knows too much about the way things work around here...there ain't no backin' out o' Deadlock. We're family forever." He graced you with one more sickening grin before he chuckled and stood, "That's it. Don't forget to get your shit together for our little jaunt tonight. Wyatt. Sam. With me."

Wyatt and Sam stood to follow Jax, but not before giving you a knowing look; one that said, 'He was warning YOU'. The rest of the gang dispersed and left you wide eyed in your spot next to Jesse.

"You alright?"

You snapped out of your stupor and chuckled, leaning into him, "How many times you gonna ask me that today, huh?"

He laughed and shoved you playfully, "Let's go eat somethin'."

\--------------------------------------------------

A week passed with very little trouble from Wyatt. You figured Jax had given him his own little warning after pulling he and his most loyal dog, Sam aside after the meeting. That didn't mean he'd changed. He still gave you uncomforting smirks and intimidating glares in passing, but you could deal with him...he was just mad that you didn't fall for his 'charms'. You thought he'd actually begun to give up on trying to forcefully 'woo' you...until the Saturday night of that week.

Jax had told the whole gang to relax before he put in motion the job he'd been planning for months...something to do with a train and explosives and the Panorama Diner; you didn't much care. Yourself and Jesse had decided to spend your time off playing a few rounds of friendly, loose rules poker. He'd been teaching you some tips and tricks and you were getting good. In fact, you'd just beaten him for the third time in a row.

"Aw, sugar, ya gone done it again...I tell ya, I might regret teachin' you my ways." He said with a joyful, laughter filled tone.

You laughed heartily, which only made him beam bashfully, "Well, what can I say? I learned from the best."

You were both pulled from your mutual admiration of the other when a friendly enough voice called out for your companion, "Jesse!"

You both turned to see Clay making his way over to the table you sat at. He smiled at you in greeting and you gave him a small wave.

Clay was fine, really, he was just naive. Whatever Wyatt told him, he believed. Whatever Wyatt did, he did too. Maybe it was just fear...maybe he didn't want to be on the receiving end of Wyatt's bullying...you couldn't blame him.

"Yeah?" Jesse asked quirking an eyebrow at the freckled face of the short, red-haired man.

"I was wonderin' if you wanted to come practice your aim. I'm willin' ta bet you can't beat me now...I been practicing."

Clay was three years older than Jesse. He grew up on a farm in Arkansas and had been shooting guns with his dad for almost as long as he was walking...he never could accept the fact that Jesse was a much better shot than he was. So, in jest, the two would often have friendly competitions...Jesse could never resist a challenge. He'd always win.

Jesse looked and you briefly, then back to Clay, "I'm busy right now, but maybe..."

You could tell he was itching to prove he was still the best shot around, so you cut him off, "Go." You turned to Clay, "He'd love to."

Jesse looked as though he might protest, but then he sighed and smiled at you, "Alright...you comin' ta watch?"

You laughed a little, "Nah. I know your gonna win anyway." Clay scoffed playfully. "I'll see you later."

"See ya, sweet pea."

You headed out of the large, warehouse-like room to your designated sleeping quarters. The room Jax had given you was small; only just big enough to contain the single bed, end table and pipe-exposed sink. It's walls were a dusty pink colour and it had no windows...it was a hideout after all. It was only temporary...you hoped. You decided to read a book you'd picked up the day before. It was an old book called, 'A Tree Grows In Brooklyn' and you were desperate to see why the shop owner had been so enthusiastic about it.

You read for about an hour before you heard a faint, but rapid knock on your door. It was unusual for any of the boys to disturb you in your room and it made your brow furrow slightly in confusion. You placed the souvenir High Tide beer mat you'd kept into the book as a makeshift bookmark and got up to answer the door. There, you were greeted by a sight that both shocked and horrified you.

"Hey, darlin'. Are you alright?"

Jesse stood there with a pronounced black eye and blood leaking from cuts to both his left cheek and his bottom lip. There was a pinkish-purple bruise forming on the underside of his jaw and his right arm was slung across his body, clutching the fabric of the left side of his plaid shirt. Yet, he was still asking about you.

You spoke as you gently helped him into your room and closed the door, "Yes, I'm alright...w-why're you asking...What the Hell happened?"

"That shooting competition with Clay? Yeah, that was a set up for Wyatt and his cronies ta get the jump on me."

He winced and hissed as you helped him sit on the thin mattress of your small, single bed. Your brow furrowed, but this time anger replaced the confusion.

You snarled through your teeth, "Clay. What a little..."

Jesse chuckled at your rage, "Hey, it's alright...I'm doin' good. They obviously needed an advantage...they know I'm the best around."  He gave you a wink and you couldn't help but soften your expression in a little giggle and an eye roll. He gulped then, and looked down at his bloodied knuckles, "Wyatt was sayin' how he'd show you what you were missin'." He gritted his teeth, "Talkin' all dirty and sordid and...God, I hate 'im. I just...I had to come see if you were okay...make sure he didn't..."

You placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, offering him a look that was simultaneously appreciative and sympathetic, "Let me clean you up."

Jesse's eyes never left you as he silently watched you fill an old metal bucket with warm water from the sink in your room. You picked up one of your clean, white towels and headed towards him where you knelt to be at his level. He still watched...gaze intent on your face. As your hand came up to place the towel against lip, you gave him a warning that it might sting...yet, his eyes never moved from yours. You got on with the job of cleaning off the blood, trying to ignore the fact that he was staring like he'd stopped working or something.

Then suddenly, his hand was on yours where it lay holding the towel to the abrasion on his cheek. You couldn't tear your gape away from it...his hand, warm atop yours.

"Run away with me?"

You blinked and coughed. You sniggered, but the intensity with which he was regarding you caused the laughter to fade. It was posed as a question, but you felt like he only cared for one answer. He was serious. Your smile dissolved into an expression of uncertainty as you cast your eyes straight into his chocolate gaze; where you were instantly lost and struggled to find words, "W-What? J-Jess. I...I mean...we can't..."

You looked down at the concrete floor and he replied with an urgent desperation in his tone, only just managing to cover the excitement that lingered beneath it, "We can...Y/N?" A gentle thumb and forefinger cradled your jaw to lift it. Forcing you to meet his wondrous eyes once more, "We can. Jax won't find us, Wyatt won't find us, no one will...I promise." You sighed deeply. "Y/N? Do you trust me?" You gave a barely-there nod to accompany your grin; a grin which he returned tenfold, "Let's go get lost somewhere."

\--------------------------------------------------

You woke up with a groan, just as Jesse was pulling the truck into a parking bay somewhere unfamiliar, "I suppose you wanna know where we are?"

The cheeky grin he held on his face, put an instant smile on yours. You sat up straight and regarded him with groggy wonder and a shrug, "Wherever we are, wherever we end up going...I don't care. As long as we're together, nothing else matters."

He grinned wide and leaned in to place his forehead against yours, "Couldn't have said it better myself, sweet pea."

The following kiss was long and passionate. It was filled with all of the love and care you'd always felt for each other; all the zeal and excitement of things to come...this was just the first of many, many more. That thought alone made you smile madly into the perfect exchange.

All of the butterflies you'd felt in your stomach every time he walked into The High Tide bar were released. They danced around your joined bodies in an explosion of colour and life that felt so wonderfully and so magically right...you never, ever wanted it to end.


	15. What I'm Proposing (Genji Shimada/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Genji has a few things to show you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "It doesn't have to be right now, but just promise me I'll always be yours."

"Genji, stop, we're gonna get caught!" You giggled, feebly attempting to unwrap his arms from around your waist.

It was difficult for two reasons. The first being that he was strong; the second was that you didn't really want him to let go...or stop kissing your neck the way he was...or stop whispering sweet nothings in your ear and making it tickle with the brush of his warm breath.

He took a moment to look directly into your eyes and smirked, "So what?"

"Soooo, we should stop...unless you want your father to banish me from here forever?" You quirked an eyebrow at him in question.

He gazed at you in admiration for a moment longer before sighing and dropping his hands to his sides like a petulant child.

It'd been like this since the beginning. A year of sneaking out and climbing into each other's bedroom windows. A year of hushed promises of secret midnight rendezvous and sly walks outside of the castle walls. It wasn't that either of you were ashamed or embarrassed about what you had, it was his family. Predominantly, his father. If Sojiro ever found out that Genji was distracted by an employee inside the Shimada estate, it was over. He'd made it very clear that neither of his sons should engage in personal relationships with staff...but then again, Genji never was a fan of rules.

Genji lifted his head to regard you once again and his brow furrowed in frustration, "I hate this."

You checked for prying eyes before laying a quick, gentle peck on his left cheek, "I know. Me too. We'll figure it out, yeah?"

He nodded, his features still forlorn, "Yeah." He studied your face for a few minutes before a small smile worked its way onto his own. You gladly returned it as he began to speak, "I'll think of something. I'll think of a way to get us both out of here...free from all of this empire crap and my father and Hanzo. It'll just be you and me...I promise." 

You rolled your eyes at his childish optimism and turned to head back to work. His eyes sparkled with nothing short of a genuine love as he watched you stroll down the corridor. You caught him staring as you were about to round the corner and giggled, sending him a sultry wink. You just about caught his face growing red as you rounded the corner and set about your duties with a satisfied grin on your face.

\----------------------------------------------

As you finished folding the last pile of laundry, the familiar 'ding' of your phone caught your attention. You looked to see that Genji had messaged you. Smiling, your opened it:  
  
**Genji** : _Meet me in the usual spot at midnight...I have something I want to show you ;) xxx_

You replied, informing him that you'd be there not a minute too late and shoved the phone into the one small pocket of your uniform. As you walked the corridors with a hamper full of clean laundry, you couldn't help but wonder what he had to show you...and you couldn't wait to find out!

\------------------------------------------------

You put on a pair of black leggings and your shoes and then threw on a hoodie over your plain white t-shirt. You weren't sure what Genji had planned, but you were sure this outfit was suitable for pretty much any possible secret midnight activities.

You used the techniques Genji taught you to stealthily and safely make your way out of your bedroom window into the shadowy back of the courtyard. Being careful not to run into any patrolling guards, you hurried to the spot at the back of the estate where you'd meet Genji to sneak out some nights or to head back to his own room.

When you showed up, he wasn't there as he usually was; waiting with a cheeky grin and cocky posture. You figured you'd lay low and wait for a few more minutes. He wouldn't stand you up, right? Your back hit the nearest wall and you leaned and crossed your arms across your chest. Just then, you heard something...someone. Someone was approaching with a steady rhythm...and they weren't coming from the direction of Genji's room (besides, you'd never hear ninja boy coming unless he wanted you to). You quickly ducked into a shaded bush by an inward corner of the building and tried to stay as quiet as possible as the footsteps grew louder. You waited there holding your breath as your eyes searched for a figure as well as they could in the low light.

Before you knew it, a hand was covering your mouth and an arm was round your waist. You barely heard the chuckle and small 'boo', over the rapid pounding of your heart and the strangled effort of a scream trying to leave your covered mouth. He craned his neck so you could see him and was met with a scowl.

He dropped his hands from your body and looked at you apologetically. Your eyes scanned the immediate area as you whisper yelled, "Genji! What the Hell? You could have given me a heart attack. I thought someone had seen me!"

"I saw you." He winked.

You sighed, "Asshole."

He laughed quietly and helped you stand. He didn't let go of your hand as he set off towards the very back wall of the estate. You climbed it together. You were an expert at it now, considering the amount of times he dragged you out to some club or night market. With those past nights in mind, you expected him to start leading you towards town...but he didn't. This time, he looked at you with what could only be described as a literal twinkle in his eye as he held out his hand for you; all the while walking into small line of trees that separated The Shimada Estate from the great beauty of natural Japan. As you walked through the various night-darkened greens and browns of the small forest edge, you watched his face intent on a goal.

"Where are we going?" Your voice came out quieter than expected, subconsciously not wanting to disturb the comfortable silence. That only made Genji's heart flutter.

He looked back to you and smiled, "I'll show you."

You didn't know why he was being so cryptic about this, but you followed all the same...you'd follow him anywhere.

Around 10 minutes passed and you had left the trees behind in favour of a slight rocky incline. The moon shone a silver river across the stony surface ahead of you; a brightness only broken when Genji stepped between the rock and your stare. He stood opposite you and held your face in his hands, just staring for a moment before he whispered, "You ready to see?"

You nodded and he kissed you softly, re-grabbing your hand to guide you up the small rock face. When you reached the periphery, you found your breath taken from you. Outstretched before your eyes was practically the whole of Hanamura. City lights and high-rise buildings gleamed and flashed, reflecting the life that always buzzed down there, even at this hour. Beyond that, a party of trees in emerald and olive accompanied by grassy pastures and a thin, winding stream that perfectly caught the moonlight in a mirror image. your eyes drifted further to see a beautifully imposing mountain range, almost entirely untouched by man. It was stunning.

The whole time you stood there, mouth agape, Genji had been studying you. Watching the way your eyes danced over every detail of the two contrasting worlds, shown here to be just as equally beautiful as each other. He watched when you took a sharp inhale to remind yourself to breathe and reached out to wipe away the tear that'd escaped you.

"What's wrong? Please don't cry, Y/N."

You giggled and sniffed slightly, "No, no, no. I'm not upset. It's just...It's just so beautiful. I never really got to appreciate how amazing this place is before. Th-thank you...for showing me."

He smiled wide and guided you to sit with him there, a perfect view before you, hands interlocked in the small space between you.

 "I knew you'd like it. It's one of my favourite places. I never could resist a gorgeous view." He smirked.

You rolled your eyes and laughed, "I do like it...and I like you."

You leaned over to kiss him, but as you went to pull back, he placed his free hand at the back of your head and deepened it before he, then, pulled away and stroked your cheek with the back of his hand, "You like me, huh? Is that all? 'Cause I was kinda hoping we were on the same page here."

He was still smiling; that smile full of jest and sassiness, but there was something else there...a hint of worry? apprehension? He was trying to hide it. You gave him a look of confusion and he chuckled under his breath. He leaned in close, so that the tips of your noses were touching and looked deep into your eyes longingly, "I love you."

For a second, you were dumbfounded...he'd never said that before...neither of you had. But then, you thought about it for a mere second before coming to the realization, "I love you too."

He kissed you again, only this time it was full of all of the passion and zeal you'd both managed to hide before now. An expression of love and care and perfect alignment. When the kiss broke, your noses still touched, your eyes were still locked, your smiles never faded. That was until Genji stood and brought you with him.

"I got you something." He said beginning to root around in his pockets.

"Oh?" You watched him amusedly as he tried to find whatever it was. His hands stopped and he looked at you with a grin, but he didn't produce the item...not yet.

"Turn around."

You did as he asked and felt him gently collect your hair and place what you assumed was a necklace around your neck before doing the clasp and spinning you around with a hand on either side of your waist. Still in his embrace, but now facing him, you looked down to what he had given you. Your hand lifted to hold the pendant of the necklace closer to your face where you saw that, adorning the silver chain, was a small bird made from carefully cut green gemstones alongside a small, real sparrowhawk feather. You gasped and smiled at him.

"You like it?" He asked, wide eyed and raised brows.

You kissed his cheek, "I love it...and I love you."

You hugged him tightly to your body for a few moments. When you let go, he was staring again (something he'd been doing a lot recently) and you began to feel shy under his constant gaze. Your cheeks heated up and you looked to the ground biting your bottom lip. You were about to ask what he was looking at, but he beat you in speaking first, "Will you marry me?"

Woah there. What now? That was unexpected. You blinked more than could be considered a normal amount in the next minute, "I...I...Genji..."

You didn't realised how long you'd been standing there dumbstruck until Genji spoke again in a more hurried and worrisome tone, "It doesn't have to be right now, but just promise me I'll always be yours."

You closed your eyes and shook your head as if to clear it and answered the poor boy before you. You grinned, "Yes. Genji Shimada, It'll just be you and me...I promise."

...and it was. It always was.


	16. I'll Race Ya! (Lena Oxton/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Tracer have a friendly competition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt, "I'm gonna beat your ass!"

Lena had been playfully antagonising you all day. She'd challenged you to a race. Lucio had told her that, on your most recent mission he'd seen you run into a collapsing building to save a dog, and that you were exceptionally fast. Lena had wondered (and doubted) if you could keep up with her and her blinking ability. You had kept telling her it was silly and that she'd obviously win, but she just wouldn't give up.

"Please, Y/N? It's for science!"

You chuckled, "You spend too much time with Winston."

"Come on! Please?" She wiggled her eyebrows, "Scared you'll lose?"

You rolled your eyes at her, "No. I told you I'd probably lose, you just won't give up. Besides, I need to go do some combat training today."

"Oh! Me too!" She paused with a mischievous look on her face, "Sooooo...we race to the gym. Deal?"

You looked at her incredulously, but couldn't help the hint of a smile that tugged at your lips. You rolled your eyes once again, only this time more dramatically, "Okay. Fine. But just know...I'm gonna beat your ass."

"Oooh, thought you said you'd probably lose?"

"Didn't want to seem cocky, you know?" You smirked.

She shoved your shoulder playfully and raised both eyebrows at you, "So, you ready?"

"As I'll ever be, _Tracer_." As you said her call-sign you mocked her accent and she threw you a jokey glare before calling over McCree who had just finished up a conversation with a new recruit.

"Y/N and I are gonna race...could you count us in or something?"

Jesse chuckled and shook his head at Lena's antics as he responded, "Sure thing."

"Cheers, love!"

"Alrighty. On your marks..." Both you and Lena assumed a starting position, "...get set...GO!"

As Jesse yelled the final word, took off as fast as you could. It was going well, you could still see Lena in our peripheral, meaning you were keeping good pace. Then...she was gone. You didn't want to hold yourself up by wondering or looking for her, so you just kept going. Rounding the final corner, the training facility doors ahead of you, you saw her. She was gonna win. She smashed through the doors and spun around, not expecting you to be so close behind. You hardly had time to react before you were stumbling to the ground, Lena beneath you, chest to chest.

"Fuck. I'm sorry." You muttered once the two of you were in the typical, compromising position on the floor of the gym and your breath had somewhat returned to you.

Luckily, a grey training mat had been left out and had mitigated your fall. You cringed at the phantom pain the thought of crashing into the uncushioned, hardwood floor caused.

"It's okay." Lena whispered softly, a slight coyness in her usually chirpy tone.

As you looked down at her, your stomach suddenly filled with what felt like a thousand butterflies, all desperately trying to find their way out. Where did _they_ come from?

The colours around you both faded, leaving hers to be eternally vibrant. All background noise erased. Time slowed; a single second feeling as though it were a fulfilled and peaceful lifetime. Without thought or conscious movement, your forehead met hers in a gentle collision. Your eyes closed and you breathed her in as if she, solely, were the air you needed to live.

She giggled. Your eyes split open and you grinned down at her, "What's so funny?"

"Err...hello...you're on top of me in the company training facility acting like you forgot how to breathe...little bit funny." She winked.

"It's your fault." You said, still smiling.

The lilt of laughter in her voice only made your grin wider, "Erm, no. I think you'll find you were the one who..."

"I didn't mean that we tripped..." You cut in, "I meant me forgetting how to breathe...it's your fault."

She blushed and bit down softly on her bottom lip, "Oh."

She was looking as intensely and as deeply into your eyes as you were into hers. You reached out slowly to brush a stray piece of hair from her face, neither of you losing your gaze on the other until her eyes briefly flitted down to catch a glimpse of your lips. She probably thought you didn't notice, that's if she even realised she'd done it herself, but you did notice. Staring so scrupulously, you doubted you'd miss a single, tiny twitch.

Her face slowly moved closer to yours, but before she made it you closed the gap; capturing her soft, shiny lips with your own. She hummed against you as you felt her arms encircle your neck lovingly and you couldn't help but smile into the sweet kiss. Right now the only thing moving faster than Lena had during your race was your happy heart.

"Ahem." You heard a gruff clearing of a throat behind you.

Both yours and Lena's eyes went wide as you hurried to your feet and she followed. The two of you turned to be greeted by the smirking face of Commander Morrison. He raised his eyebrow as if to prompt an explanation from one of you. You both spared each other a flushed glance before you spoke up, "Sorry, Commander Morrison, sir. We were training and were just..."

He chuckled and shook his head playfully, "That's enough, agent. For future reference..." He looked between the two of you, smirk still present, "...save that kind of display for your personal quarters, understood?"

You both nodded in agreement and he dismissed you. However, before you were able to leave the facility he turned and with his stern expression returning, added, "Only off-duty too. We don't want either of you losing focus now, do we?"

"N-no, sir! Of course, sir." You saluted and made your way down the hall beside Lena.

You made it halfway towards the mess hall before you both exploded into fits of uncontrollable laughter, melodically weaving its way throughout the corridors of the watchpoint, bringing satisfied smiles to the faces of old and new recruits alike.

When you entered the cafeteria, the familiar sound of jangling spurs sounded from your right, you turned to see McCree approaching holding the burrito he'd just chomped a big bite out of, "So who won?"

You and Lena looked at each other with giddy smiles love-filled eyes and you answered McCree's question without those eyes never leaving hers, "Me. Definitely me."


	17. Valentine (Hanzo Shimada/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neither you nor Hanzo usually celebrate Valentine's Day...but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it together.
> 
>  
> 
> (In this one, Hanzo, Lucio & DVa are all members of Overwatch.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "You did this for me?"

_Hanzo walked with purpose through the corridors of the watchpoint. A few hours of cardio, archery practice and CQC with McCree had really worn him out. He was desperate to get back to his room for a shower. However, his pace slowed as he heard the word 'love' in your sweet voice._

"This whole 'show how much you love someone' thing is overrated. I've never really celebrated Valentine's Day...I feel it's just a big marketing ploy." You said with a nonchalant shrug of your shoulders as you made your tea.

"Sounds like no one's ever done something special for you on Valentine's." Lucio replied, all the while looking at Hana with playful eyes and a teasing smirk which she returned. They probably thought you couldn't see them, but you caught them in your periphery.

You grinned, knowing their game. Your uninterested tone didn't leave, "No. Not really. The most I got was a single, fake rose at a school dance when I was 14."

"You can't tell me you wouldn't enjoy someone treating you with love and adoration for ONE DAY!" Hana giggled.

Your smile never faded as you shook your head a little at their antics and picked up your tea, "Bye guys!" You called as you turned to leave ignoring their taunts and teasing.

_Hanzo only felt slightly guilty for eavesdropping. He silently, but swiftly, continued on the journey to his room. Only now, he had a thoughtful expression to accompany the idea forming in his brain._

\----------------------------------------------

**Hours later...**

You pulled the plug from the bathtub and stepped out with a shiver as the bitter cold air offered an unwelcome contrast to the still pleasantly warm water of your bubble bath. your feet nestled into the soft, teal mat beneath them and you sighed, wrapping the fluffy, white towel around your body. Upon entering your room, the pleasing scent of 'Plum & Rhubarb' candles hit your nostrils and you suddenly remembered you'd forgotten to blow them out. Doing just that when you approached the dresser they sat upon, you picked up your hairbrush and gave your tresses some attention before opening the top draw and retrieving some comfy, casual clothes to spend the rest of your evening in. You planned to snuggle up in bed and watch a movie on your holopad before going to sleep, but a faint knock on your door changed your plans.

Who was interrupting your downtime this time? You swore if it was Jesse again, you'd punch him square in the face.

Opening the door you found that it wasn't Jesse, but in fact, Lucio and Hana; both wearing the same mischievous smirks from the kitchen earlier. They looked at each other and chuckled like school kids. You sighed, "Was there something you wanted, children?"

Lucio spoke up, "Aw, c'mon! Don't be a downer!"

Hana eagerly jumped in to cut to the chase, "We need your help, Y/N."

"With what?" You asked with a subconscious raise of an eyebrow.

They shared a brief glance before turning back to you, "We want you to come help us with a surprise for someone for Valentine's Day. It's only a few hours 'til midnight...the 14th. Someone on base wants to impress a fellow agent and we said we'd help them...now we need you."

You rolled your eyes and huffed out a breath, "Guys, I told you I didn't take part in that crap. I don't do Valentine's Day."

Hana crossed her arms over her chest and looked at you with feigned seriousness, "Y/N, just because you don't love being in love, doesn't mean you have to spoil it for everyone else...can't you just help us make someone feel special for ONE DAY?"

You begrudgingly decided she was right; who were you to deny someone else a nice Valentine's Day? You rolled your eyes again, this time with an added smile, "Who are we surprising?"

Hana's stern, motherly look turned into an excited grin to mirror Lucio's, "Doesn't matter, let's go!"

She grabbed your wrist and pulled you with her as she walked with purpose down the hall. You turned back to see that Lucio was making sure your door had locked behind you before following. You just hoped this would be quick so you could get back to your bed and trashy movies.

\----------------------------------------------

After traversing the corridors of the watchpoint for a few minutes; passing the floor to ceiling windows of the atrium, through which you could see the navy sky only just being introduced to tiny, sparkling stars and the pale moonlight, you came to a stop outside of a door. Both of your companions looked at it and then at you before you came to your realisation, "Wait...isn't this Hanzo's room?"

_Was Hanzo the one you were surprising? Did that mean he was seeing someone? Did someone on base have a crush on Hanzo?_

You thought about how that would make you feel. Sure, you wanted Hanzo to be happy...he deserved that much...but why did the thought of him being with someone else sting so much? The relationship you had with Hanzo was not straight forward, to say the least. On first meeting, neither of you had taken a liking to the other, but after a few weeks, you'd found the two of you had a lot in common. From there, you'd developed a friendship. From that came the kiss that you pretended didn't exist for months...until you mutually decided on a friends with benefits kind of deal. That whole thing had slowed down in recent months due to Hanzo acting a little weird around you. Maybe that was when he started dating this new someone? It's not like he wasn't allowed to date or anything, he just...

"Y/N? Hellooo?"

You shook your head as if trying to clear it and blinked before looking back at Hana, "Yeah?"

"I said, yes. This is Hanzo's room. We need to get in."

"What?" You scoffed, "Are you serious? You can't just break into someone's room and...what are supposed to being doing in there?"

Lucio spoke as it looked as though Hana was holding in a laugh, "Look, we need to set up the surprise for the Valentine. Hana and I need to go get some supplies, you wait here in case he comes back."

Your eyes widened. Your brain was trying to make sense of any of this nonsense, "A-and what do I say if he does come back?"

By this time, your friends were already heading down the corridor, "You'll work it out!"

You sighed and slid down the wall next to Hanzo's door. You were only sat in that spot for about a minute when you heard a 'ting' from inside the room as if someone had received a message on one of  the Overwatch communication devices. Shit. Was he in his room the whole time? You scrambled to your feet and wondered whether you should warn Hana and Lucio. You got out your comms device, but before you could do anything else, his door opened.

Looking up, you were greeted by the smiling face of Hanzo Shimada. You blinked a couple of times and your mouth bobbed open and shut like a guppy, "I-I, err...I was just...Hanzo, hey."

You cringed and only just stopped yourself from face palming. The man laughed heartily, "Hey, Y/N."

"Why're you laughing?" You said breathily through a nervous chuckle.

"Because it's funny how cute you are sometimes." His eyes trailed the length of your body and you began to wish Hana and Lucio had let you change into something less...frumpy. His eyes stopped on yours and he stared into them for what seemed like an eternity before you dropped your gaze to the floor, in a last stitch attempt to preserve your dignity and hide the growing blush that had crept its way up from your chest to your cheeks.

"Are you coming in?"

You panicked a bit then, quickly trying to formulate a sentence, "I, no...I'm actually waiting for someone...they errr..."

He saved you, "Hana and Lucio. Yes, I know."

He laughed again.

"Oh. Did you hear them out here?" You speculated.

"Actually, I asked them to help me in a bid to get you here. I am sorry for deceiving you." Your brow furrowed in confusion, "Please. Join me inside and I'll explain."

As you stepped passed the arm Hanzo had extended in invitation, you became acutely aware that there were no lights on in his room and music quietly played from inside. As you passed the threshold, you looked up to see the furniture in his room had been rearranged and white candles were lit all around the room. The music, you noticed, was actually an acoustic version of one of your favourite songs. A small table, usually in the bottom corner of the room, stood proudly in the centre between the door and the bed. It was adorned with a small floral centrepiece, which sat between the two places that had been set with what you recognised as Hanzo's beloved tableware he'd brought with him from Hanamura. Atop both plates were identical desserts from your favourite bakery. Next to those, stood two empty glasses, presumably waiting to be filled with the contents of the bottle placed in the middle of the table, just to the left of the centrepiece. You noticed next, that the chairs by each side of the table were desk chairs; one his and one presumably borrowed.

Hanzo clicked the door shut behind you. Your wondrous exploration of the room was interrupted by his deep voice, "I know you love that dessert place in town, but never really have time to go there. So, I got you a treat."

You turned to him, only then realising that your hand had covered your mouth in surprise. You removed it and giggled quietly, "You did this for me?"

His smile widened, "I heard you saying that you have never had someone treat you for Valentine's Day and I decided that must change."

"It isn't Valentine's Day yet." You smirked.

He moved towards you and rested his hands on your hips, "Admittedly, we have a few hours, but I just wanted to make sure I was the first person to make you their Valentine."

You giggled again, resting your arms around his neck, before kissing him lightly on his warm lips. He tried to deepen it, but you pulled away, "Dessert first. It'd be a shame for you to have gone to so much trouble and it all go to waste."

He smirked as he squeezed your sides before moving to pull out your seat for you, "M'lady."

You laughed at the cheesiness of it all and Hanzo swore his heart melted then and there. He watched you as you sat down and got comfortable. He watched as you inspected the flute glasses and seemed to give them your seal of approval. He watched your mouth curl into a cocky smile as you noticed him staring, "You gonna sit?"

He snapped out of his reverie, "Yes, of course."

He sat down opposite you to the almost constant soundtrack of your laughter, filling the gap between songs in the playlist he'd made. He couldn't help but feel like no music in the world could sound quite as good as you.

Valentine's Day may have been a commercial scam, but if it gave him an excuse to be close to you, he'd celebrate it every day.


	18. Nice To Meet You (Gabriel Reyes/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You bump into someone (literally) who turns out to be more important than you thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt, "I really wish you'd told me your mother was in town."

You hadn't slept. Maybe an hour, if that. It was always so much harder when Gabe wasn't next to you. You lay looking up at the ceiling; the dreaded thoughts of the possibilities for the reasoning of the meeting running through your head, making it impossible to rest.

Gabriel had been called to an urgent meeting at work late last night. That could mean something was wrong at the Overwatch base. It could mean they needed him to interrogate a dangerous criminal. It could mean he would be sent on another who-knows-how-long mission.  

You sighed deeply and turned to look at the alarm clock that stood on the walnut wood bedside table; it's screen proudly displaying the red numbers that informed you it was now 5:34am. That meant you'd been laying alone for nearing six hours since Gabe was called away from you. You turned to face the wall opposite the glowing clock and closed your eyes; desperately trying to sleep your anxiety away.

It must've worked for at least a little while, for the next thing you knew was being woken up by the sound of boots hitting the floor just after a weight pressed down on the mattress behind you. You heard Gabriel curse quietly under his breath at the noise that came from him seemingly accidently dropping the boot a little too loudly. You felt his weight shift slightly as you assumed he was trying to tell if he'd woken you or not. You kept your eyes closed and gave him the satisfaction of believing you'd slept through his noisy return. He moved to lay down then, his body fitting perfect around yours as he rested an arm gently over your form and leaned forward to kiss your cheek. You heard him whisper a barely audible 'I love you' before drifting back to sleep.

\------------------------------------------------

You woke up a few hours later to Gabe still holding on to you. You gently turned in his grasp to face him ,successfully doing so without him waking. You smiled at his sleeping face; even unshowered, with messy hair and drool and morning breath escaping from his slightly agape mouth, he was still the most handsome man on the planet to you. You stroked his cheek softly and placed a feather-light kiss on his nose before craning your neck to see the clock display behind him. 10:51am.

You managed to wriggle your way out of Gabe's grasp with only a slight stir from him. You giggled quietly as you stood at the foot of your bed and heard him mumble something in his sleep about Jack being 'as stubborn as a mule'. The meeting must've warn him out. You'd ask him about it later, but for now you needed a shower...and breakfast.

\------------------------------------------------

After your incredibly refreshing shower, you decided to prepare breakfast in bed for Gabe...only when you opened the fridge, you found it bare. You needed supplies.

You brushed you teeth, noticing that the rolled up tube was very nearly extracted of all contents. You made your hair look somewhat presentable before changing into clothes more fitting for the outside world than your comfy sweatpants and hole-worn tank top. You left Gabe a little note and headed to the supermarket.

\------------------------------------------------

It was busier than you expected. You greeted a few neighbours you recognised from the area, but didn't know well enough to have full conversations with. You and Gabriel usually kept to yourselves. It was altogether better that way.

You gathered up the things you needed for your boyfriend's favourite breakfast and picked up a new tube of toothpaste along the way before heading towards the cash registers at the front of the store. You wanted to make it back before Gabe woke up, so you upped your pace. However, in your rush, you completely failed to see an older woman placing the same brand of ready-made tortillas you'd picked up earlier into her shopping cart. You dashed right into her, dropping the contents of your overloaded arms onto the polished, off-white floor and failing to stay on your feet. The round-faced woman managed to regain her balance using the handle of her cart to keep her upright. She righted her silver-flecked, black hair and looked at you with a disdain that seemed to fade quickly into pity, "¡Ojo! You should be more careful, cariño! Next time think about using a basket." She gestured to your scattered groceries.

You began to collect them into your arms again, "Yes, you're right. I am sorry, ma'am."

She tsked quietly and followed it up with a small chuckle, "¡Gente joven!"

She smiled as he walked away and you couldn't help but internally face palm as you rolled your eyes at your own clumsiness. You hustled for the cash register, taking more time to make sure you didn't run into any more unsuspecting old ladies.

Succeeding at that task, you had your items scanned and bagged and left the store to return to Gabe.

\------------------------------------------------

When you arrived home, you placed the groceries on the kitchen counter and went to replace the toothpaste in the bathroom. However, when you reached the door, you heard the shower running. You decided to put the toothpaste aside and get started on breakfast. It wouldn't so much be  breakfast in bed now, but you could still surprise him with it.

You began the process of making his favourite 'breakfast taquiza' whilst absentmindedly humming a song you'd heard at the supermarket. You were at the egg frying stage when a pair of strong, warm arms wrapped around your middle and the enticing scent of mint citrus and leather started to mingle with the cooking aromas. You giggled, "Hey, handsome."

Gabe kissed your neck and you could feel the smile on his lips, "Hey, hermosa." He kissed your cheek this time, "Is there anything more satisfying than my favourite person making my favourite breakfast?"

You turned around in his arms, you spared a glance at his toned abs as you noticed he was wearing only a pair of black sweatpants and nothing else. You feigned a look of deep thought which quickly grew into a sultry gaze, "Oh, I could think of a few things."

He smirked as one hand planted itself on your hip and the other glided up your back to cradle your neck and bring your face to his. He kissed you deeply and your couldn't help but get lost in it for a minute...until you remembered the eggs. You pulled away and turned to save them from burning. He chuckled and whispered lowly in your ear, "We'll pick up where we left off later."

With a final peck to the back of your neck and a pat on your butt, he left to sit at the table with his holopad open in front of him. You finished up the taquiza and placed a plate next to his holopad. Whilst sitting down with your own, you asked, "What was the meeting about?"

Gabe sighed as he pushed the holopad to the side and pulled his plate closer, "Oh, just some upset within the UN...nothing you need to worry about, carino." He smiled at you before taking a bite of his breakfast. His face washed over with a serene look of bliss as he closed his eyes to savour it. He opened them after he swallowed the bite and looked at you, "You know, you make it better than Mama...I taught you well."

You stick out your tongue at him and throw the nearby dish towel in his direction. It hit his shoulder and fell into his lap. He laughed as he put on the table, "What? I'm merely saying that you've impressed me. I taught you this recipe because it's my favourite. It used to remind me of home, but this is home now. It's perfect...you're perfect."

You really didn't want to ruin the moment, especially considering the genuine look of adoration on his face as he stared at you, but you couldn't help but let out a laugh at the cheesiness of the whole thing. At first, he looked a little taken aback, but soon joined in your laugher, throwing the dish towel back in your direction.

\------------------------------------------------

After you'd eaten, Gabe offered to wash the dishes. You insisted he relax and set to the chore yourself. When you'd finished that task, you turned around whilst drying your hands and noticed he was transfixed to something on the holopad; his brows furrowed in either concentration or frustration. One thing about Gabe was that sometimes his dedication to his job wore him down. You hated it when that happened. You decided to help him take his mind off it.

You quietly walked up behind the chair he was sat in and draped your arms over his shoulders, running your splayed palms down his muscular chest. You bent down to kiss and nip at his neck. No response yet. You ran your tongue from the join of his shoulder and neck all the way up to his ear, where you nipped at his earlobe. His head fell back then and he closed his eyes. You grinned. You continued to plant quick kisses on his neck and the sides of his face and he hummed in contentment. You purred in his ear, "How about we finish what we started earlier, huh?"

Quicker than you'd even finished the sentence, he was up. You were in his hold; his arms hooked under your legs and hands resting on your butt. You let out a small squeak of surprise before giggling. The giggle didn't last long through as Gabe crashed his lips into yours and ate up every last sound you made until you got to the bedroom. He threw you on the bed with a little bounce and crawled over you until his face was inches from your own, "Let me show you how much I love you."

\------------------------------------------------

You'd fallen asleep again after Gabe had 'shown you how much he loved you', but only for about 20 minutes before someone ringing the doorbell woke you both. Gabe got up quickly and put on his sweatpants before going to answer it. You looked around the bedroom floor for your t-shirt, but failed to see it anywhere. You opted instead to wear the maroon one of Gabe's folded on the dresser. You pulled on your underwear and looked in the full-length mirror. The t-shirt was loose and the neck hole fell to one side where it almost exposed your shoulder. It was just long enough so that the bottom of your black underwear was just visible beneath it. You looked pretty hot; bedhead and all.

You heard the front door close and figured whatever they were selling, Gabe didn't want. You walked with a sexy sway of your hips down the hall towards the kitchen/living area and stopped at the doorway as you heard voices. You heard Gabe trying to get a word in as a woman spoke pretty fast dropping in and out Spanish and flicking back to English. You heard her loud and cheery voice, "I wanted to make you taquiza. I know that's your favourite, hijo. The store had these tortillas that you like, but I would have preferred to make them from scratch. ¡Día ocupado! If I had time I would have made some..." She paused, "Who is this, Gabriel?"

You looked up from your position. You had been looking at the floor with your ear towards the kitchen/living area and hadn't noticed her move so that you were in her line of sight through the gap in the slightly open door. It didn't take you long to recognise her as the woman from the supermarket...the woman you'd bumped in to. Gabe stepped into your view as well, just as you felt your face turn red. Luckily, your bottom half was still hidden behind the door. He cleared his throat, "Mama, this is Y/N...my partner. Y/N this is my mother."

Great. Just great. You really hoped she didn't recognise you from earlier, that'd be pretty awkwa...

"We know each other already, hijo. They crashed into me at the store." You didn't think your face could get anymore red as you gave her a shy wave and smile, trying not to move from behind the door. She chuckled, "Come on now, I don't hold it against you. It was an accident, querido, you don't have to hide from me! Give me a hug!"

She started towards you and you started to panic. You couldn't exactly run away, she'd definitely think you were weird then. But what was she going to think of you wearing nothing but your underwear and her son's t-shirt when you had guests over? There was no more time to think as she neared the door. You stepped out from around it and hugged her. Over her shoulder, you saw Gabe take in your appearance that she was yet to notice. He held in a laugh behind a cheeky smile and turned away to hide the blush forming on his cheeks. His mother pulled away from you and held you at arm's length. The smile she had when glancing over your face disappeared as her eyes trailed over your form. She met your eyes again and you nervously chuckled under your breath, still you colour of a ripe tomato. You cleared your throat, "Excuse me."

You turned and practically ran back to your room to find some suitable clothes. When there, you threw on some clean underwear, dark blue jeans and a plain white t-shirt. You tidied up your hair a bit and sat down on the bed to hype yourself up for going back out there. As your head fell into your hands in embarrassment at the memories of your encounters with Gabe's mother, the bedroom door opened and Gabe walked in. You looked up at him, not realizing there were tears welling in your eyes until his smile faded into concern, "Oh, hermosa! What's wrong, baby?"

"I really wish you'd told me your mother was in town."

"I'm sorry, I completely forgot. With the meeting and not getting much sleep these past few nights, I forgot that she'd told me she'd be in town."

He was sat by your side in an instant, arm around your shoulders rubbing comfortingly with his thumbs against your skin. You wiped away the single stray tear and chuckled, "I'm just being silly...I just really pictured meeting your mother differently, you know?" He nodded, listening, "I wanted her to like me. Now she thinks I'm some clumsy mess of a whore."

Gabe grunted, "Hey...hey look at me." He lifted your head with his finger under your chin and kissed the end of your nose softly, "She doesn't think that." You scoffed. "She doesn't! Before I came to see if you were okay, she was saying how beautiful you were and how sorry she felt for you."

"See, she feels sorry for me, Gabe. She pities me. She probably thinks her son deserves so much better than me." Oh no. Here come all the insecurities you'd held in, "Maybe she's right, you do deserve better. I'm a mess. There's so much more that you could have from any other..."

"Hey. Stop." He placed a hand at either side of your face, giving you no option but to look directly into his deep, chocolate gaze, "She was saying she felt sorry because she understands that she caught you at two inconvenient times. She doesn't pity you. She doesn't even know you. It may seem like it, but my Mama isn't one of those judgemental Ma's who makes opinions without getting to know a person first." You sniffed and he wiped away another rogue tear with his thumb, "I told you, you're perfect...and I meant it. I don't ever want to be with anyone else, you understand?" You nodded as much as you could in his grasp, "Now, come on, I think Mama's cooking something."

He stood and held a hand out for you. When you took it, he pulled you into a tight hug and whispered into your hair, "I love you, carino."

You pulled back and smiled sweetly, "I love you too, Gabe."

\------------------------------------------------

You held his hand as you walked back to the kitchen area. His mother turned around from her place at the stove to see the two of you enter. She looked down at your intertwined hands and smiled from ear to ear. You smiled back, "Hey, could we maybe start over?"

She grinned with that same cheekiness you often see in Gabe, "Of course, cariño!" She stepped forward arm outstretched offering a handshake, "Nice to meet you."

You took her hand with the one previously taken by her son, "Nice to meet you to, Mrs Reyes."

She tsked, "Oh, no no no! Please, call me Ma."

Gabriel laughed with you as he placed and arm around your waist and lead you to sat on his lap at the table, "What's cooking, Mama?"

She added seasoning to the pan as she replied happily, "I know it isn't morning, but I'm making you your favourite breakfast. Breakfast taquiza!"

You and Gabe looked at each other with amused smiles, "Sounds great!" You chirped.

"Oh, he's loved it since he was a niñito! No one makes taquiza better than Mama, right Gabi?"

You raised an eyebrow at Gabriel whilst his mother was distracted with cooking. He winked at you and his eyes never left yours as he said with a smirk, "No one, Mama."

You gave his chest a playful slap and he caught your wrist before pulling you in for a kiss.

\------------------------------------------------

Gabriel's mother turned around to see her son kissing the person she'd first met stumbling into her at the supermarket. She gave a little shake of her head, all the while beaming with delight.

All she ever wanted was for her son to find untainted, genuine happiness...and right now, in front of her, that's all she could see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the Spanish is garbage, I used Google Translate.


	19. Tell Me (Brigitte Lindholm/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Brigitte reminisce about times past and look forward to times ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt, "I hope you know how much I love you."

You strolled through the German countryside with your childhood friend, as you talked properly for the first time in weeks. You’d been moving to a new house and she’d been busy helping her Godfather with something to do with armour…or shields? You didn’t really pry too much into that, you were just glad for the chance to hang out with your favourite person again.

You both looked at each other when you passed a certain property as you made your way back towards the town. A smirk appeared on your face just as a similar one made its way to hers. The two of you then looked at a small orchard in front of the property and the low, stone wall surrounding it. “You think he still grows the best apples around?” You asked.

“Only one way to find out.” She smirked.

\----------------------------------------------------------

The two of you panted as you ran around the corner and ducked behind a broken wall. You both tried to stifle your laughter as you heard Mr. Fischer shouting and yelling from the direction you’d came. He rounded the corner and failed to see you behind the wall, yet still shouted into the late afternoon, “You’re not kids anymore! You’re supposed to be adults! If I see you stealing my apples again or even on my land again, I won’t just call Mrs. Lindholm, I’ll call the police!”

Brigitte stood and pulled you along with her as the voice of the old man faded.

“I do feel kind of bad for him,” You said taking a bite from your apple.

Brigitte smiled, “He’ll be okay, the guy is fit as a fiddle. Besides, he’s too selfish with his apples! We only took one each!” She threw her own apple into the air and caught it again before taking a bite and chuckling around it.

“Do you remember that time he got both of your parents around to complain about us and then his wife ended up just making friends with them instead?”

She laughed, “Yeah, and then next week they were round at our house with enough apple pie to feed all of my siblings!”

“AND your mother invited me so I’d have to sit through the whole dinner getting stink eye from Mr. Fischer.”

“He hated us.”

“He still does, Brigitte.”

You two of you reminisced as you sat down on a bench in the park near your home. The sun was going down behind the horizon before the two of you finished chortling. Your eyes were soaked from all the crying you’d done from the laughing, your cheeks hurt so much and your smile felt like it’d be a permanent fixture there now. You looked at Brigitte through vision misted with happy tears as you both stood to make your way home.

“I hope you know how much I love you.” The words were out in the open, drifting to her ears before you could process the confession nestled within them.

She paused, the grin fading from her face into a look of disbelief and what could have been relief, “Tell me.” She almost whispered.

Your brow slightly furrowed in confusion, “What?”

“Tell me how much you love me.”

You stood in silence, both staring into the eyes of the other, searching; hopeful and longing. Hers, to you, were like endless hazel pools of possibility and miracles; stunning in all of the love they held beyond. She had always been a representation of the wonder and beauty of life and you had always known it. Only, she had never realised you’d felt that way…the same way she’d felt about you for as long as she could remember.

After what felt like a century, she seemed to lose hope she was clinging to, as her head fell downward and her stare landed on the small space of ground between your feet and hers. You suddenly remembered her simple request and shook yourself out of the mystically reverie she managed to put you in. You took hold of her chin as gently as possible and lifted her gaze back to your face. You smiled lovingly at her and as your hand lifted to cup her face, the other mirrored it on the other side. Our thumbs stroked softly at her cheekbones and you sighed, “Brigitte, I love you. I love you more than I have ever loved anything or anyone. I have always loved you this much. Always. You’re gonna think I’m cheesy, but since the first day I laid eyes on you, I knew I would. I tried to tell you so many times over the years, but, I guess I was a coward, “ She shook her head slightly as her smile returned, “…too scared that you’d turn me away and I’d never get to see your flawless face or hear your infectious laugh or perfect voice ever again. Because I’d rather live a lie than live without you.”

A moment of silence followed, before she brought her arms up to wind around your neck and kissed you. It was slow and tentative at first, but as you returned it and your eyes dropped to a close, she deepened it and pulled you as close as she could. You felt as though everything fell into place at that exact moment. Everything was right in the world…or at least it was in yours. She pulled away and rested her forehead against yours. Your eyes opened to meet hers. You panted quietly as she breathlessly spoke, “You don’t know how much I’ve been wanting to do that for so long.” She chuckled slightly and you couldn’t help but mirror her, “I love you, Y/N. I don’t think I could ever explain to you how much. I wish I’d said something sooner, but I’m so glad I have you now.” She pecked your lips once more, “…and for the record, I’ve always thought you were cheesy.”

The laugher that followed from both yours and her throats was a sound more unique than any other. The blend of two voices that were always destined to be heard as one.

Neither you nor she would ever hear a better sound.


	20. Please Don't Fall (Genji Shimada/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who'll be there to catch you when you fall?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompts:  
> "I know you told me to stop thinking about you, but I can’t get you out of my mind.”  
> and,  
> “I told you not to fall in love with me."

Genji’s kiss was like nothing you’d ever experienced before. It was searing, it was sweet, and it was ecstasy. That’s how it felt every time, without fail. Every night that he’d crept into your quarters, every time one of you had stolen the other away from a walk through a watchpoint corridor, every time you’d overslept in the same bed and foregone training only to be yelled into submission minutes later by Reyes.

Your time in Blackwatch was better than you’d ever expected it to be when you joined as an angry adolescent. It was better because of him. Genji gave you something to look forward to; something to fight for. _Someone_ to fight for.

If only you’d told him that weeks ago, months even. If only he’d known how madly in love you’d already fallen with him. Maybe things would’ve turned out differently. Maybe now you wouldn’t feel so conflicted as you lay on your side, elbow on the pillow, hand propping up your head, watching him sleep.

The two of you had never intended for this arrangement to be anything more than ‘a bit of fun’. The both of you were fine with that; neither one thinking they were ready or deserving of a ‘normal’ or serious relationship. No feelings. Easy. Right?

Wrong.

In hindsight, it was inevitable really. Did you seriously believe you’d never feel anything for him? How could you not? He was everything to you. Every day was spent with him; laughing, joking, training, eating, watching TV. You would never have survived 5 minutes in Blackwatch without him and you most certainly wouldn’t have survived that time in Mexico when he sliced off the head of your would-be assassin. Reinhardt always called you ‘peas in a pod’ and if either of you was seen around base without the other, there would be instant assumptions. Where was the other? Was something wrong? And if you were being honest, you without Genji _did_ seem wrong. It _felt_ wrong.

Now, the organization was under strain…Blackwatch especially. After the mission in Rialto, nothing was certain anymore. No-one knew what was going to become of all of this. You hadn’t voiced it, not even to Genji, but you were scared…what would you do if there was no Blackwatch? No Overwatch? What would happen to you and him?

You sighed and fought back tears as the thoughts rushing through your head made it spin and ache. You watched the slow rise and fall of his chest, before your eyes trailed upwards to his face; peaceful and relaxed. You smiled at that. His handsome features, scars and all, always looked best when he was truly relaxed. You savoured the moment and mentally stored away the image of Genji; free from his helm, free from worries, free from the weight of the world you knew he felt. Your eyes closed briefly as you sighed again, but shortly re-opened as Genji mumbled, “Creep.”

Your brow furrowed, “Excuse me?”

He chuckled and with ninja speed and precision, threw his arm around your waist and pulled you on top of him. You laid there chest to chest, smiling at each other before he kissed your lips softly and whispered against them, “You were watching me sleep…creep.”

You giggled and the heat of your breath against his face filled him with a warmth that extended the length of his entire body; both flesh and metal. He grinned wide as the sound of your laugh faded into your own grin. Another moment of silence as you gazed into his eyes before your smile faded and eyes dropped to a close. Genji looked confused then, “Is there something wrong?”

You gathered what emotional strength you could and lifted your head to softly smile at him, though he could tell it was forced, “No, all good.”

You took your eyes away from his face in favour of looking at literally anything else as you climbed off of him and off the bed. Unbeknownst to you, he watched every move you made. You sauntered to the bathroom, stating without turning, “I just need a shower.”

\-------------------------------------------------

When you’d returned to your room that morning, Genji had already left. For a few minutes, you stood in the white towel, water from your hair dripping onto the floor every now and then as you stared sadly at the crumpled sheets he’d left behind. Then, just as fast as you’d gotten into your stupor, the bustling of fellow agents outside broke you out of it. You checked the time and hurried to get ready for running the track with Reyes.

\-------------------------------------------------

10:00pm, you stood at the one-way window of one of the higher floor viewing areas of the gym. You saw McCree getting in some late night close combat practice against a (literally) beaten up punching bag. You weren’t sure if he was here of his own volition, or if he’d done something to piss Reyes off again, but either way, you weren’t really that interested. Truthfully, you saw him, but you weren’t really _watching_ him…your mind was elsewhere…where it always was…on Genji. A part of you knew that you’d come here in the hopes of catching him during one of his late-night sessions, but he wasn’t here. In fact, after this morning, you hadn’t seen him all day.

Just as that thought crossed your mind, a voice made its way to your ears as two arms wound their way around your waist, making you jump slightly, “Are you being a creep again?”

You turned in his hold, serious expression on your face and arms still folded across your chest, “You’re the one creeping up on people. You scared me.” You chided sternly.

Genji arms left you then and came up in front of him defensively as he took a step back. You looked at his face to see a glint in his eye and a smirk on his lips, “Whoa, calm down, princess.”

He knew you hated that, “Don’t call me princess.”

You turned back to see McCree still jabbing at the punching bag. You couldn’t see it, but Genji’s face had settled into a frustrated confusion, “What is up with you today?”

You sighed as you realised none of this was his fault. It wasn’t his fault that you couldn’t stop yourself falling for him…hard. You turned and dragged your hands down your face before dropping them to your sides. You didn’t know how to deal with this. Maybe just continue ignoring it…that was a great idea, huh? Best option you had, you thought. One more sigh, “I’m sorry, I’m just stressed about the whole Antonio situation and stuff. Don’t worry about it. I’m pretty tired, Genji. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You brushed passed him and were almost out of the door before he turned and caught your wrist, spinning you to face him, “I’m not stupid, Y/N. You’ve been acting strange for weeks and now you can barely even look at me? Don’t keep bullshitting me, Y/N.”

You just wanted to get away from him. You pulled your wrist from his grasp and didn’t realise just how loud your voice was about to come out as you locked eyes with him, “All I’ve been thinking about is you, Genji! All the time!”

He was frozen for a moment, expressionless, before he smirked and chuckled, “Then stop.”

You were sure he was joking, trying to lighten the mood, but there was something hidden behind the mischief in his eyes that you couldn’t quite place. Despite that you continued, “I can’t! I can’t stop thinking about you…about us!”

His face was serious now, an unusual sight when it was just the two of you, “Us?” he almost whispered.

You gulped hard, “Yes, us. I…I don’t…Genji. Please, this thing we have…it’s more than just fun for me…at least now it is. I feel…”

He looked like a deer in headlights. The arm he had outstretched in a bid to touch you had lowered to his side, his eyes were wide and his lips slightly agape. He shifted in his position as his gaze dropped from yours and landed on the floor at your feet. He didn’t look up as he seemed to hesitate and you’re sure his head shook slightly before he cleared his throat, “Stop. We should stop then. Whatever this thing was is over, Y/N. I’m sorry. Stop thinking about me…stop.”

You stood stiff with shock as more tears joined the ones that had already began to fall down your face when he’d started speaking. Genji pushed by your right arm as he exited the room and you fell to knees then and there.

\-------------------------------------------------

You couldn’t sleep. You’d laid in bed thinking about the very person you weren’t supposed to think about anymore.

After your confrontation yesterday, you’d stayed awake most of the night and almost fell asleep during Commander Morrison’s meeting this morning. All day you’d seen hide nor hair of Genji. You’d seen very little of any of your friends either, come to think of it. The only one you had seen was Jesse and it’d only been in passing about two hours ago as he left Reyes’ office. He wore a weary smile as he saw you, then silently walked in the opposite direction, towards his room. You had then glanced into Reyes office window to see him with a piece of paper crumpled in one fist as his head lay in the other hand. He was always stressed these days. You wondered whether you should knock and see if he was okay but decided you didn’t have the energy to really comfort anyone. So, you walked the rest of the way to your room and lay there on your bed. Alone.

The silence grew loud and the more you struggled to suppress the thoughts of Genji Shimada, the more your mind teased you with memories and moments of laugher and happiness. It was too much. You needed to clear your head. You looked at the clock which read 01:54am. You yawned, got up and stretched before heading to the bathroom to splash your face with cold water.

You relinquished getting dressed in favour of leaving your room in your pyjamas. You didn’t really know where you were going, but you just needed to go. Somewhere.

You walked around the corridors, encountering no other living being. It was kind of eerie at night here; the faint sound of the waves crashing against cliffs outside and a barely audible whistle through a crack in one of the atrium windows from the breeze outside. The light grey colours, darker and life seemingly gone from the place.

You rounded a corner to be met by a figure exiting their own room. You figured it was just someone else who couldn’t sleep…until you noticed the bags they had with them. Were they abandoning Overwatch? You slid back around the shadowy corner and curiously watched with your head peeked around, hoping they wouldn’t notice you. The figure picked up their bags and seemed to take a deep sigh as they took one final look at their room’s door and put on a…a cowboy hat? Jesse? You quickly retraced your route in your head and concluded that, yeah, that was Jesse’s room.

He started towards the exit at the opposite end of the corridor, bags in hand. You followed him as quietly as possible. When you were both outside, you ran to catch up with him, “Jesse?”

He turned, shocked. When he saw it was you a wash of something akin to sympathy ran over his face, “Shhh, not so loud, eh?”

You apologized and lowered your voice as you made your way to be directly in front of him, “Where are you going?”

He sighed and rubbed his free hand down his face, “I’m leavin’.”

“What?” You whisper yelled.

“I told Reyes earlier. He said I should do what I think’s best. I think this is it.” He briefly looked down at his belongings, then back to you. Your face was sad and disbelieving. He felt guilty, “He knows this is not gonna end well…I think you do too. I don’t wanna be around when it all goes south.”

You stuttered trying to find the words, “B-but, you can’t just…Jesse, you can’t just up and leave. How could Reyes allow you to…what about the rest of us?”

He dropped his bags and gently took hold of the tops of your arms, “Look, Y/N, I’m sorry to leave y’all, especially with the ninja going…” He stopped, clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“What? ‘Especially with the ninja’ what?”

“Darlin’, it’s not my place. I can’t. I promised I wouldn’t…”

You interrupted with a tone he hadn’t heard from you before. Stern, desperate, “McCree, you’d better tell me what you were gonna say about Genji before I go and wake up the whole base...including Morrison. I’m sure he’d have something to say about your little plan.”

He shook his head again and looked at the ground beneath him as his arms fell back to his sides. He then shot his gaze skyward and then to you, defeated, “Genji’s leavin’ too, darlin’.”

You looked at him incredulously, “What? With you? Where is he then?”

He looked around skittishly for a moment and then quickly uttered, “Not with me, but tonight…I think. He’s travelling to Nepal.”

Your eyebrow raised quizzically, “Nepal?”

“Yeah, he’s lookin’ for some monk or somethin’. Reckons he can help him heal and control his anger.” The look of sympathy returned, “As far as I know, he could already be gone.”

Sparing no more time, you raced back towards the base, only faintly catching Jesse calling your name alongside the word ‘sorry’.

You rushed through the corridors intent on only one destination…his room. You were past caring about being quiet or waking people up, you needed to see that he wasn’t gone…not yet. You ran for what seemed like hours, but in reality, was roughly two minutes, until you skidded to a halt in front of Genji’s door. You knocked desperately. Nothing.

Another knock. More silence.

“Genji, open the door!”

Nothing.

You growled through your gritted teeth, “Athena?”

“Yes, Agent Y/L/N?”

“Can you tell me if Agent Shimada is inside of his room, please?”

You were growing antsy and had begun to pace without your knowledge, “Agent Shimada left his quarters at precisely 2:11am.”

You checked the time on your wrist device. 2:32am. Without thanking Athena, or even giving the A.I. a second thought, you rushed out of the base through the closest exit and made your way to Genji’s room window. Sure enough, it was open. From there you looked around desperately but saw nothing. You ran in the direction of town, panicked, gasping for breath. Still in your pyjamas, the cold chill of the breeze was warded off by the heat your body was generating from working so hard to find a stealthy ninja.

You got to the road that led out of the base. On one side it was umbrella’d by trees and framed with flora, on the other was a cliff drop overlooking the sea. Losing hope, tears began to sting your face as the wind hit them. You slowly walked towards the cliff edge and looked out over the sea, your tears now becoming one with the salty waves of water that crashed below you. You sat; legs dangling helpless over the rocky edge. Usually, this would probably have been exhilarating, but right now, you felt numb.

You let him get away. You let the only person you’d ever loved walk straight out of your life. Maybe that was for the best, you thought, he never loved you back…maybe it was easier to never have to confront him again…never have to hear him say…

“Y/N?”

Your head snapped up and to your left where the familiar voice had come from. There, a green travel bag beside his feet, stood Genji. He looked imposing from this angle, dauntingly breath-taking, but never frightening. Your breath shuddered, and the single word shook through your streams of tears, “G-Gen-ji?”

He held out his arm towards you, opening his palm in invitation, “What are doing? Come away from the edge.”

You then realised that he probably thought you were planning to jump. You stood up carefully and turned to him, but as you did, a rock came loose under your foot and your eyes squeezed shut.

You were sure you’d hit the water soon or lose consciousness or hit an outcrop in the cliff. None of that happened. But why did you feel like you were floating? You slowly opened your eyes and were face to face with Genji; noses almost touching, his eyes blown wide and frantic. You then realised he was talking and he was holding you bridal style, “Y/N? Say something.”

“I wasn’t going to jump,” Was the first thing that left your mouth.

He sighed, “Then what the Hell were you doing on the edge of a cliff at 3am?”

His tone was distressed and harsh. You winced at the sound of it, but then struggled against him to ask to be let down. He placed you on the ground, but stayed close, searching your face for answers, “I was looking for you and then…”

He cut you off with a whispered yell, “In the ocean?”

“No! I couldn’t sleep, so I went walking. Then I found McCree leaving and he told me you were probably already gone too and so I came to find you and I couldn’t…you weren’t…” Your tears took over as he pulled you into his chest. You looked up at his face to see him staring down at you, “I know you told me to s-stop thinking about you, but I…I can’t get you out of my mind. I love you.”

He stared at you for at least a minute before grabbing you by the shoulders and holding you at arm’s length. He shook his head lightly and his eyes danced over every feature on your face before he finally spoke, “I told you not to fall in love with me.”

You shook out of his grasp, “I know! I know, but I did and I’m sorry, but I just needed you to know.”

He pulled you back into his chest and you returned his embrace as he began to stroke your hair and softly shh you, “I don’t deserve you. You should be spending your days with someone far, far better than me, Y/N. That’s why I never told you how I really fe…” He stopped then started again, “Everyone can see you’re too good for me. I’ve seen the looks we get when we’re out in town or even hanging around base. I’m a monster, Y/N, look at me!”

So you did. You stepped back and looked over his entire being. From the shiny, black hair that poked above the helm at his head, to the piercing, beautiful eyes that stared into yours. From the join between flesh and machine at his chest, to the wires of silver, black and red. You smiled as you reached his feet and trailed back up to, once again, look into those eyes. You stepped closer, “I am looking at you, Genji, and I love every tiny detail I see.”

You rested a hand on his chest and looked up waiting for a reaction. He looked down at you, sweeping a stray hair behind you ear and moving to cup your face with his human hand. He closed his eyes and let his forehead touch yours. He whispered as a single tear fell from his eye onto your cheek, “You deserve someone else.”

You bring both of your hands up to cup his face and lift his head from its slumped position, “Genji, look at me, open your eyes.” He obeyed, taking a deep shuddering breath as he did so. You smiled sweetly as you both cried, “I don’t want anyone else.”

You pulled him towards you and he wept into the crook of your neck. After a few moments, he pulled back and cupped your face with both hands, just as you had done to him earlier, only this time, he pulled you in for a kiss. One of those searing, sweet, perfect kisses. Ecstasy. He pulled back, but not too far, just enough so that the tips of your noses were touching, “I love you so much.”

 -------------------------------------------------

It would take time, but Genji would grow to love himself just as much as you did…well, maybe not _that_ much, but at least enough to let go of some of his demons. It’d be tough, but with the help of Zenyatta in Nepal, you would both heal.

Together.


	21. Little Miracle (Jesse McCree/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After receiving some news from the doctor, you struggle with how to tell the love of your life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For, “You haven’t even touched your food.. what’s going on?”

You stared at the lampshade across the room. You hadn’t really noticed how beautiful it’s pattern was before; little, terracotta and maroon diamonds separated by gold criss-cross lines that glowed with the light from within. The material things around it had long since faded from your, what was now, tunnel vision. You don’t know why you’d chosen that lampshade, but it was now so much more interesting than anything else in the room. An interesting distraction. The chosen object for your mind to zone out into and forget what was really important. You must’ve looked like a wide-eyed crazy person to Jesse, who was now desperately waving a hand into your field of view and calling out.

“Y/N? Helloooo? You in there?” He chuckled, before growing more concerned at your lack of response, “Y/N, are you alright, sugar?”

Suddenly his voice penetrated your ears and you were quickly brought back to your reality. Sitting in your apartment, across from the love of your life; your food going cold as he was half-way through his own. You coughed slightly, blinked and painted on a smile, “Yeah, yeah. Sorry, Jess. I zoned out.”

“Yeah, I know.” He looked at you; uncertain and worried, “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yes.” You picked up your fork and began playing with the spaghetti on the plate in front of you, in danger of ‘zoning out’ again to avoid the issue plaguing your mind.

Jesse sighed and put his own fork down in favour of reaching across the dark wood table to take your hand in his, gently caressing the back of your hand with his thumb as he smiled softly at you. In all the years he’d known you, he’d come to learn that you didn’t like to ‘burden’ him with your problems. You figured he had enough to worry about considering his line of work. He wished you wouldn’t take so much on alone.

“You haven’t even touched your food...what’s going on?”

Despite your nerves taking away your appetite, you took a bite, for his sake, before raising your eyebrows and meeting his gaze fully for the first time this evening, “I’m okay. I was just thinking and got carried away with my thoughts, that’s all.”

You squeezed his hand in reassurance, but he still wasn’t buying it. He pulled his hand away and ran it through his hair, “I know you, Y/N…better than anyone…and I know there’s somethin’ you’re not tellin’ me.”

He was frustrated, you could tell, but he never raised his voice at you.

You closed your eyes for a few seconds before sighing and opening them again. This was bound to happen sooner or later anyway. You had to tell him no matter what the outcome.

“Jess, I…” You paused, not quite knowing how to phrase it. He waited. You looked into his beautiful, chocolate brown irises again, “I fainted at work this morning.”

His brow furrowed in concern as he pushed his plate aside to lean forward; arm resting on the table, “What? Why didn’t you tell me?” He reached out to lay the back of his hand across your forehead, presumably to check your temperature, “Do ya feel alright now, sweetpea?”

You took that hand in both of yours, “I’m fine. I just…”

He cut you off, his teeth gritted, “I swear if they’ve been overworkin’ ya again, I’ll…”

This time you didn’t let _him_ finish, “Jesse, could you listen, baby?”

He nodded and gave an apologetic look as you cleared your throat.

“So, after I fainted, my boss sent me home and told me I should see a doctor.” He nodded again, willing you on; hand still in yours, “I wasn’t going to at first, but then I remembered that I was super sick last week, and I’ve been unusually tired these last few days…so I went to the doctor.”

He looked tortured to know what was wrong, “And?”

“…and I know that we were told I’d never…” His face turned from concern to disbelief and you knew he’d figured it out already, “…never have kids, but, Jess, I’m…”

His voice seemed strained and his second hand gripped tightly around your clasped ones, “Really? You’re…”

“Pregnant.” You almost whispered.

He stood from his chair quicker than you think you’d ever seen him move before and made his way to your side just as you were standing to meet him. He pulled you in for a hug and then pulled back, but never lost contact. His hands remained at your waist and his forehead touched yours. You noticed a single tear leave his right eye as he looked deep into your eyes and whispered, “Really?”

You nodded against him with an uncertain smile playing at your lips before he captured them in a sweet, loving kiss that made you question why you’d ever been scared to tell him. You felt consequent tears fall onto your cheeks from both yours and his eyes as you stood there, just holding each other for a few peaceful moments.

Jesse pulled back, tucking a piece of your hair behind your ear as he did so and looked at you with such adoration, heat rose to your face and butterflies danced around the growing life inside of you. You leaned up to peck his nose and smiled, “You’re gonna be a dad.”

He chuckled through his tears as your delicate fingers gently brushed them away. But then it seemed he’d remembered so many questions, so suddenly, “Why didn’t you want to tell me, darlin’? You didn’t think I’d be mad or upset did ya? What did the doc say, everythin’ good? Faintin’ can’t be good, right?”

You giggled at his suddenly flustered state and wrapped your arms around his neck. You tried to address some of his worries, “The doctor ran some tests, and everything looks great right now. I get some more results back in a few days, but she said not to worry too much as baby seems healthy. We also scheduled an official first scan.” You paused briefly to caress his cheek softly, “I did want to tell you Jess, I was just afraid of how you’d react. What with your job and with me being told it was never an option, I didn’t want to scare you away or…”

He cut you off again, but this time with a kiss. Afterwards he grinned wide, “There is no one on this whole damn planet that I would rather start a family with than you…nothing matters more to me than you. Damn…we’re gonna have a baby, baby!”

He picked you off the ground by your waist and spun you as you giggled. He returned you to the steadiness of the ground and glanced towards the abandoned table then back to you, “You’re gonna need to eat something though.”

You looked at the forgotten spaghetti on your plate and sighed. He turned your head to face him with a single finger and pecked your nose. He lay a hand on your stomach and looked at it in awe, “How about the three of us go into town…to that restaurant you love, huh?”

You smiled and hugged him, “That sounds amazing!”

You left his embrace and made a start on clearing the table, but as you picked up a plate of cold spaghetti, he caught your wrist in his hand, took the plate from your grasp and returned it to the table, “Leave it…I’ll deal with it when we get back.”

You smiled as you linked your arm with his and headed for the front door. Jesse put on his jacket and watched you closely as you did the same. You caught him staring, “What?” You chuckled, becoming secretly shy under his unwavering gaze.

“I love you, Y/N.” Was his sincere reply.

“I love you too, Jesse.”

He moved closer and cradled your stomach with both of his hands as you watched in wonder, “And I love you too, little miracle.”


	22. Confessions (Jack Morrison/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What will it take for the two of you to admit how you feel?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt, "Those things you said yesterday.. did you really mean them?"

The mission had gone pretty smoothly. Your team had successfully cleared out a Talon warehouse in Russia, in two days less than was planned for too. Mission leader, Commander Morrison, had headed back to base with most of the rest of the team whilst you and Captain Amari remained for the final two scheduled days for some observation...just in case.

It was nearly the end of the second day of uneventful stake-outs. The air was starting to get bitter and you shivered as you watched tiny speckles of white glimmer amongst the inky sky. Captain Amari shifted beside you and you turned to face her, "You think we could head inside? The dropship should be here any minute anyway and it's freezing!"

You'd been waiting for news of the incoming pick-up for over 30 minutes, but Ana wanted to make sure the observation of the now-abandoned warehouse was throrough. So, having given up on cleaning your gun after the fifth time, you currently sat beside the captain atop the unused building you'd been staying in as she looked through her scope. 

Ana hummed, not turning away from her magnified view, "You can go inside if you wish, but I'm comfortable here." You shook your head and looked at her, eyes wide and disbelieving. She wasn't looking at you, but she had this way of knowing; a way to see what you were doing without having to actually pay you any direct attention. She chuckled slightly, "Go."

You stood and made your way towards the doors to head back down into the building. Before you opened them though, the turned back to face her focused form, "You should come inside too." No response. "I mean no disrespect, but...the mission's over. We got 'em. Are you not just being paranoid?"

She chuckled again, her shoulders shaking lightly with it, "Agent Y/L/N, I have been in this line of work long enough to know that the mission is never over." You squinted your eyes at her. "Being paranoid is not always a negative thing in this job. I will stay. Thank you for your concern."

You stared at her for a few shirt minutes before the cold air sent a shiver right to your very core. You hugged yourself before shrugging and huffing a small breath as you made you way inside and down the staircase to the upper floor of the building. 

\--------------------------------------------------

You and Ana had packed up of of your equipment and were heading out of the building. Comms had opened back up and Winston had informed you that Commander Morrison was aboard the dropship with the pilot and would be waiting for you at the assigned pick-up point within the next half hour. You packed your gun into the thigh holster on your right leg and checked the room one last time. You noted that Ana was still on edge and had kept her rifle loaded and in-hand as you both headed out. 

The streets were quiet; not many civilians dared the harsh winds at 3:00am. Even still, the two of you kept your walk out of town as stealthy as possible.

Once you'd reached the outskirts of town and breached the tree line of the forest, the comms opened. Lena was excited for you to get back so she could tell you this "hilarious" story about Jesse and the new cyborg guy. Winston tried to keep her quiet as to not wake up the whole base, whilst Ana and Jack would occasionally give a small laugh or amused grunt. You liked this. This was why you loved your Overwatch family.

You smiled to yourself as you saw the grey and white colours of the Orca in the not-to-distant lines of your vision. The door opened and you saw Jack move to stand in the doorway, but then...everything happened so fast.

Ana screamed your name at the same time you saw Jack's glad expression turn to one of horror. You whipped around to see why she'd called out to you and then...you felt it, or rather you heard it first. A sickening crack in your shoulder followed by the thumping of your own heart. A slight, sharp pain was all you experienced. It didn't hurt as much as you'd expected being shot would, but the way you could feel the blood warming the area made you dizzy, just as the nausea hit.

You could hear yelling, both in your comms device and from Ana. Jack's voice was the one you latched onto though. It was strong and clear and, although a little panicked, comforting in some way. His voice was suddenly directly in your ear as you realised he was carrying you onto the ship, "Stay with me, Y/N. We're gonna get you fixed up. Just keep your eyes open."

You could feel your eyelids drooping as he came into your vision. He was blurry, but his voice was still clear. He was repeating the same things over and over again; telling you to stay with him and keep looking at him. You tried. You tried, but it was becoming increasingly hard to stay focused. 

A very slight, yellow glow emitted around you and you suddenly felt your heart calming down. You figured he'd put down a biotic emitter to ease your pain a little. Then, you felt him take your hand. He rubbed his thumb gently over the back of it. He was saying something else now. His voice was different too. Was he...crying? 

He was doing his best with what he knew and what Ana was yelling at him through comms, to stop the bleeding and dress your wound. You guessed that she was busy taking out the sniper that had taken a pop at you.

"Morrison?" You whispered.

"Yeah, I'm here, Y/N. This is my fault. I should never have left you out here. Especially with what Ana said about the threats." He looked down towards the floor of the dropship briefly before returning his gaze to your half-lidded eyes, "God. I'm so..." A pause, "Ana was right. I knew I should have..." Another pause. He was trying to fix his thoughts. You were just trying to stay awake. You hadn't realised your eyes had closed until his sharp yell of your name brought them back open again, "Y/N? Look at me. You're gonna be okay. Ana will be right here and then we'll get you straight to Angela, as soon as we're back, okay? Okay?"

You heard him sniffle and saw him wipe his face on his sleeve as Ana came rushing to your side, yelling for the pilot to take off. 

Jack's hand never left yours. Not even when your eyes finally closed and you succumbed to the darkness.

\-----------------------------------------

You woke again with a dull ache and throbbing sensation in your left shoulder. You noticed Ana was sleeping in one of the bench seats across the ship from your makeshift bed. You then noticed that your hand was still encased in the warmth of Jack's. You smiled softly as you looked round slightly to see that he had fallen asleep too; in the terrible plastic chair beside you. He shifted and cleared his throat quietly and...you don't know why you did it...but you pretended to be asleep.

You felt his thumb brush over the back of your hand again as the chair creaked; an indication, you presumed, of him sitting up to a more comfortable position. It was silent for a little while. Then you felt a stray hair being gently tucked behind your ear before soft lips met your forehead in a barely-there kiss. He shifted again, obviously trying to be quiet as to not wake you or Ana. He had leaned closer.  
"You really scared me there, agent." His voice came out timid and it cracked a bit with the remnants of sleep, not at all like the Commander Morrison you were used to on the field. There was a pause before he began again in his soft tone, "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have even been here. This is my fault." You were tempted to 'wake up' and tell him to stop with the guilt and that you were doing your job, but you were more intrigued to hear what else he was going to say. 

He sighed, "I'm so glad you're safe. Ana's pretty good...don't tell her I said that." He let out a hushed chuckle to himself and you restrained yourself from joining him. He sighed again and it sounded like he might choke up, "I...I don't really know what I would've done if...if I'd lost you." His voice cracked again, but this time you don't think it was from sleep, "I'm so glad you're not awake right now, because I know you'd be giving me Hell for being all sentimental and 'gooey'." He laughed at his own memory of you using that word to describe Lena and Emily once. "You mean a lot to me, Y/N. More than you'll probably ever know. You'd think seeing you close to...close to dying, would've forced me to say it, but I guess I'm too much of a coward, Y/N. I don't know if I'll ever have the guts to come out and tell you how much I love you."

You gulped. You were scared you'd given yourself away, but he must've been temporarily looking away from you because he didn't seem to catch it. He cleared his throat once more, as quietly as he could. He brushed his thumb over your hand again before he dropped it, "Rest up, agent."

You heard him get up out of the chair before the thoughts he'd planted in your brain caused you to fail your mission of getting back to sleep.

\-----------------------------------------

The next time you woke up, you were in the med-bay of the Watchpoint. You knew it by it's white walls, white ceilings, blinding lights and blue-ish, grey floor with curtains to match. The clock beside the bed told you it was midday.

Temporarily forgetting your reason for being here, you tried to sit up, but were quickly reminded of your fate by a piercing pain in your left arm. You winced and suddenly, Angela was by your side trying to aid you in laying back down, "Now, Y/N, it is not ze best idea to put weight on your shoulder right now."

She seemed a little taken aback that you'd tried, but she wasn't mad. You smiled at her after settling back into the crisp pillows, "Sorry, Angie."

She gave you a smirk, "You know I hate that nickname. You should stop hanging around Lena and Jesse...they are bad influences." 

You shared a laugh before Angela went over your current condition with you and began talking about a healing plan. Before she could finish, however, a small knock came from the door. Angela called for the visitor to come in.

Jack opened the door slowly and peeked his head in before the rest of his body followed. He smiled wide at seeing you, "Ah, you're awake, agent!"

"Yes, and doing well, all things considered." 

Jack studied you for a few seconds before turning to the doctor, "May I have a moment with agent Y/L/N, to go over a mission report?"

Mercy gave you a warm smile and stood from her perch on the side of your bed, "Don't take too long, they still need rest."

The click of Angela's heals faded and all but disappeared as she got up and headed out the door with her notes.

Jack stood awkwardly, silent for a few seconds before shaking his head and coming to sit in the chair next to your bed. He cleared his throat, "So, err, how are you feeling?" You giggled and he suddenly flustered, not quite understanding until, "I, err, supposed that was a stupid question, huh?"

Your laughter trailed off and you smiled kindly at him, "I'm doing okay. I've had worse."

You definitely hadn't. You always prided yourself on being one of the only long-serving agents who hadn't been shot before. McCree said you should try it sometime; that the scars were turn-ons for some. Guess you could test his theory now. 

Jack rolled his eyes and visibly relaxed into the chair. He ran his free hand through his hair and raised the report papers into his sight line with the other, "So, I don't expect you to give a full report, we've got that covered. I just need you to give your point of view on what happened during the warehouse infiltration when..."

He went on, reading through the papers, checking things and making sure he covered everything he needed from you. You watched him intently. You'd always admired him on a professional level, but it wasn't until that time in hand-to-hand combat that you'd begun to admire him on other levels too. You were supposed to be training with Agent Kilder, but in her absence, Commander Morrison had stepped up to help you. That was the first time you'd ever really looked at him up close. His striking blue eyes had captivated you from that moment on. The way he treated you as an equal was refreshing and you respected that. 

You realised you'd been staring for far to long, lost in memories, when those damn cerulean orbs flicked up from his papers to your dumbstruck face.

"Y/N? Are you alright?" 

The genuine concern covering his handsome face warmed your heart to the point you thought it may melt. You were quickly coming to a realisation. You shook your head quickly, noting that you were still staring at him, "Yes, I'm alright. Sorry. Continue."

He hummed and shifted in his seat, "Yes, so, after we took out the group guarding the front of the warehouse, we moved through into the storage room where the..."

Something snapped in you as you failed to pull your gaze away.

"Those things you said yesterday...did you really mean them?"

Your sudden outburst caught him off-guard, to say the least. He shifted uncomfortably to the point it looked like he might stand up and walk out, "W-what?"

Shit. What did you say that for? You blushed and looked down at your hands. Welp. Why not?

You sighed and looked back at his nerve-stricken features; your hands still fiddling with the sheets covering your lower body, "I...I heard what you said. I wasn't...I wasn't really sleeping."

He made a noise somewhere in the back of his throat that you ever expected to hear from someone like him. He looked down at the floor, "Oh."

For a while, it felt like that was it; that neither of you were ever going to speak again. Then he put the papers down on the wheelie table beside his chair. He clasped his hands together tightly and raised his head to look at you again. Jack was always a serious leader, but the look he regarded you with then was a different kind of serious. It was heartfelt and filled with a million unspoken words and untold emotion. You felt a deep and genuine connection in that moment. He spoke quietly, but you caught it, "Yes."

"'Yes', what?" You whispered.

He stood from the chair and moved slowly, cautiously to sit by your side on the edge of your bed. He took a hold of both of your hands in both of his and gently brushed his thumbs over the backs of them as he had hours before. You looked down at your hands in his and couldn't help the tug at the corners of your mouth. He dripped his head slightly to catch your gaze again and when your returned it he smiled too, "Yes. Yes, I meant what I said to you on that dropship. I was...I was going to tell you I..."

You laughed then, good-naturedly and he was confused for a second before you took your right hand from him and nudged his shoulder with it, "No, you weren't. You were scared I'd call you 'gooey'."

He laughed then too and took your hand back into his after laying a small kiss on the back of it, his eyes searching yours for any kind of apprehension as he did so. He found none, "You can call me whatever you like as long as it's not in front of my agents...or Reyes...definitely not in front of Reyes."

"I won't call you 'gooey' in front of Reyes." You laughed again and copied his previous action by taking his hand and bringing it to your lips to offer a small kiss of your own. He watched you with wonder and adoration, "Promise."

He grinned at you and whispered, "Thanks. So does this mean..."

He gave a look as if prompting you. You raised your eyebrows at him cheekily, "What?"

"You know. Do you...feel the same?"

You giggled, gesturing with your right hand for him to come closer. You took his face between your hands and whispered softly against his lips, "Of course, I feel the same."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back at writing again! I'm trying to write a pretty long McCree fic, but am super nervous. I really want to finish and post it, but we'll see what happens, eh?

**Author's Note:**

> I'm open to constructive criticism. All kudos and comments welcome!  
> Hope you enjoy! - Ali x


End file.
